by Thomas Ramge

A penetrating guide to artificial intelligence: what it is, what it does, and how it will change our lives

At a breathtaking pace, artificial intelligence is getting better and faster at making complex decisions. AI can already identify malignant tumors on CT scans, give legal advice, out-bluff the best poker players in the world, and, with ever-increasing skill, drive our cars.

In Who’s Afraid of AI?, award-winning author Thomas Ramge expertly explains how machines are learning to learn, and he questions what today’s explosion of AI capability could mean for tomorrow:

• Is it ethical to allow robots—endlessly patient—to replace human caregivers in providing comfort and companionship to the elderly?
• Since AI feeds on big data, can we prevent its misuse by corporations or the government?
• Will AI ever be capable of runaway self-improvement? And if “the singularity” does arrive, with AI’s intelligence exponentially outpacing our own, what will become of us when, in many ways, we’re obsolete?

“Exciting, mind boggling, and, yes, unsettling, AI is destined to transform nearly all sectors of industry and our lives in ways that we can’t even imagine today. At an inviting length, Who’s Afraid of AI? is a wonderful primer on what we need to know and what we need to worry about.”—Foreword Reviews