- Written by Nick Bostrom
- Published in 2014
- 328 pages
- Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️?
‘Before the prospect of an intelligence explosion, we humans are like small children playing with a bomb. (…) In this situation, any feeling of gee-wiz exhilaration would be out of place. Consternation and fear would be closer to the mark; but the most appropriate attitude may be a bitter determination to be as competent as we can, much as if we were preparing for a difficult exam that will either realize our dreams or obliterate them.’
The quote from the concluding chapter of the book pretty much sums up the message of Bostrom (although it’s a shame that he saved his metaphors and illustrative language for the final chapters).
This book is a great overview of all (most?) risks involved in the creation of a General Artificial Intelligence. The best thing about this book is Bostrom’s thoroughness in describing those risks and potential solutions. I definitely feel like he’s tried to capture everything he and his peers know about these subjects in the book, which is great.
Unlike other books about this subject, its focus is not solely on the devastating effects a GAI can have, but it also shows an overview of the process towards the development of a GAI and how humanity should prepare for it and how we can make it as save as possible.
That being said, I did sometimes feel like I was zoning out while reading the book. Mainly due to Bostrom somewhat clinical/boring writing style. It could’ve used a bit of flair!