The Age of AI: And Our Human Future presents the reader a central question: How will artificial intelligence (AI) change the human experience? The book is a unique addition to the existing knowledge as it advances a distinctive and a broad perspective which is ‘unlike other technological innovations in history, AI fundamentally transforms society.’ While past technologies have altered the way humans perform tasks, AI changes how humans see themselves as contributors to society, compelling them to question the ‘reality.’ The book challenges the traditional beliefs and engages the reader with examples of how AI has already transformed our daily lives and will do so in the future to a greater extend.
The book is a fascinating exploration that delves into comprehending the social, political and technological advancements reinforced by AI. It serves as a genesis for anyone seeking to grasp the transformative change that AI is ushering in. The book extensively explores the impact of AI on human society, making it an indispensable read for advancing academic discourse on the impending technological age.
Universities, think tanks and technological firms worldwide are responding to this surge by conducting dedicated research on the applications of AI. Notably, in 2020 alone, AI start-ups in the United States raised nearly USD 38 billion in funding, while their Asian counterparts invested USD 25 billion, and European counterparts added USD 08 billion (p. 9). Recognizing the significance of this field and its long-term implications, the United States, China, and the European Union have established high-level commissions dedicated to its study and policymaking.
The three authors of the book, who are renowned public intellectuals, embarked on constructing a comprehensive case on this subject after inspired by ‘artificial intelligence’ as the focal point of a conference. They expound upon how rapid technological advancements, particularly in automation and machine learning, are profoundly reshaping every facet of human life. They encompass both positive and negative implications.
Throughout the book, the authors refrain from seeking definitive answers. Instead, they endeavour to raise questions that our current and future generations will inevitably confront. Such inquiries encompass profound contemplation of what it means to be a human when machines gain access to realms of knowledge, reality and reasoning that surpass human abilities (p. 32).
As an endeavour to provide a fresh introduction to the potentials and risks of AI, the authors assert that AI and automation are steadily permeating various domains including healthcare, environment, transportation, industry and defence. Their objective is to highlight how the AI revolution will reshape and reconfigure society, economics, politics and foreign policy. Predictions suggest that AI will profoundly impact scientific advancements and redefine the tenets of modern warfare (p. 94). Furthermore, they argue that AI has already surpassed the skills of the greatest chess players and possess the capability to autonomously drive vehicles and facilitate swift medical diagnoses (p. 11).
The authors maintain that AI has the potential to enhance and simplify human existence. However, if left uncontrolled, AI also presents nightmarish dangers to society. It possesses the capability to generate hyper-realistic fake speeches or videos depicting events that never happened (p. 50). Moreover, the infiltration of AI-driven warfare into civilian domains will undermine the fundamental principles of human dignity and jeopardize the safety of non-combatants. This trajectory may lead us toward a future where machines assume the responsibility of making decisions that determine the human identity.
The authors guide the reader through a historical journey, tracing the evolution of change from ancient times to the present-day AI revolutions. The emergence of AI in this phase of history is an undeniable reality, and our society must collaborate to embrace and regulate its impact (p. 10). When viewed from the perspective of its applications in healthcare, agriculture, advertising, industry and other fields of applied sciences, the power of AI is immense. It possesses the ability to predict and mitigate natural disasters, making it an innovation that cannot be dismissed as a mere technological advancement. The authors argue that societies that fall behind in aligning with global developments in AI will face an uncertain future.
Among the comity of nations, AI holds the potential to empower by offering specialized technology that supersedes traditional reasoning. The authors ultimately posit that, although human reasoning and faith will endure in the age of AI, their scope will predominantly be influenced by the progress of new machine-driven forms of logic (p. 115). Such advancements enable AI to tackle questions that are difficult to understand. It is imperative that we ready ourselves for this momentous transition.
The book convincingly conveys to the reader that AI will extend far beyond the realms of science and technology, infiltrating every aspect of society and fundamentally altering the world we live in.
