The Age of AI: And Our Human Future

Written by Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenlocher

Narrated by Eric Pollins

Three of the world’s most accomplished and deep thinkers come together to explore Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the way it is transforming human society—and what this technology means for us all.

An AI learned to win chess by making moves human grand masters had never conceived. Another AI discovered a new antibiotic by analyzing molecular properties human scientists did not understand. Now, AI-powered jets are defeating experienced human pilots in simulated dogfights. AI is coming online in searching, streaming, medicine, education, and many other fields and, in so doing, transforming how humans are experiencing reality.

In The Age of AI, three leading thinkers have come together to consider how AI will change our relationships with knowledge, politics, and the societies in which we live. The Age of AI is an essential roadmap to our present and our future, an era unlike any that has come before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Nov 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781549108570

Henry A. Kissinger

Henry Kissinger served as the 56th Secretary of State from September 1973 until January 1977. He was a member of the Defense Policy Board and the Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting fi rm. Dr. Kissinger received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, and the Medal of Liberty in 1986.

Reviews for The Age of AI

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“The Age of AI” by the three authors is an excellent book because it raises many questions about the future: how AI will shape humanity, how humanity will shape AI, and the interaction between the two; and explores the rewards, risks, and concerns associated with the rise of artificial intelligence.
Unlike many AI scientists who take an unremittingly optimistic view of AI, extended life, and downplay the risks, the three authors explain the advances and ask questions about the outcomes of the interplay between AI, society, and humanity.
They explain–state–that AI will be part of our lives, and we will not rid ourselves of it. The book starts with a chapter describing the current situation. Of course, since the book’s publication, further advances have been made, rendering the material almost obsolete. However, it is a helpful chapter to read. From there, they write a brief chapter on the evolution of technology and, like many authors, quote the Luddite movement.
The chapter, which many like, is the one on the Turning Test – can computers and machines think? We will never know the answer to the Turing Test. They then turn their attention to global networks, the changing face of geopolitics (I see Kissinger’s influence in this chapter), society, and world order, and end with a speculative chapter on the future of humanity.
Society, nations, and humanity are changing and will change. The authors do not explore the changing face of world order in great detail, nor do they explore the impact AI and technology may have on societal inequality. They exclude discussions on synthetic biology, which is a shame: AI and synthetic biology will affect humanity for several future generations.
The book is easy to read and covers most issues in depth. The additional material provides enough resources for those who wish to explore the issues raised in more detail. The authors struck a speculative, realistic, and philosophical note in their book, which is perfect.
Read it now: the book will be outdated two years from now. Consider it to be a milestone in a rapidly changing world.

[neanderthal88-247100 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a review of the current state of AI and an overview of all the risks, potentials, problems, and ways to handle them. It didn't really provide specific answers to these questions but leaves everything open for the reader and for the future. Pretty interesting read.

[scottjpearson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Public fascination with artificial intelligence (AI) has only increased since this book was published in 2021. AI technologies, such as Chat GPT, have entered mainstream society and are being used in everyday business work. Publicly, however, leaders from philosophy, business, and government do not appear yet ready to grapple with the deep human questions involved. For example, when do we defer to AI bots over human agency? Are we ready for AI tools of war – both offensively and defensively? How will this affect how we view ourselves as creatures of reason? In this book, Henry Kissinger, a dean at MIT Daniel Huttenlocher, and the CEO of Google Eric Schmidt grapple with similar issues at length.

The depth of thought in this work cannot be contained in a short book review. Needless to say, they cover the foreseeable issues through a historical lens. AI technology seems to portend an epochal transition in human civilization, much like the advent of the printing press. A big distinction is between assistive AI, under human direction, and autonomous AI, which directs us. Also in this realm, the prospect of artificial general intelligence – that is, a sentient computer or android – looms large and frighteningly realistic.

AI can apply to many fields of human activity, like the military, healthcare, business, education, and scientific research. These examples and more are explicitly examined throughout this book. Not all are good, however. The prospect of AI weapons scares me deeply. United States policy is not to develop autonomous weapons, but what about other countries? Is there any plausible way to defend against such war? It seems inevitable that someone is going to try using such a weapon eventually, even if they are a rogue terrorist group. Do we have to go through another World War I to learn our lesson?

This book offers more intelligent questions than firm answers, and that is the authors’ apparent intention. We are at the early stages of mainstream adoption of this technology, and questions abound while certainty is scarce. As such, reading this socially focused book behooves anyone interested in seriously forecasting the repercussions on the world. I develop software for a living, on the micro-level, so a treatment like this on the macro-level is helpful to see coding’s impact down the road. My experience tells me that the issues raised are spot-on, and the treatment is even and balanced. As humans, are we ready for this? No, but reading this book will make a reader more prepared.