Over the last decade, digital technologies have become all-consuming entities that leave no part of life untouched. The Internet and the digital world have expanded to cover all areas of our lives and reinvent some of the oldest entertainment forms. The best example of this is literature – the latest victim of digital rebranding.
Redefining written content in the digital age
Imagining literature and digital platforms as two distinct worlds is easy. However, PIA’s research shows that social media has worked its magic to help make books a trend. From social media accounts dedicated to reviewing and analyzing books to TikTok trends, it seems that reading and writing are now a new online and offline sensation. Countless book influencers are offering content that encourages users to read and explore an alternative form of entertainment beyond on-demand content.
But, while books are rising in popularity, the emerging wave of AI language models, such as ChatGPT, promises to change the creation of written content forever. With several books written by AI already available for purchase, users are becoming aware of how these platforms could change the future of publishing. Will machines replace human authors? What does AI represent for writing and creativity? Are jobs related to publishing at risk?
While it isn’t easy to answer all these questions, we thought that the best way to understand the impact of AI on books and content creation is to learn about this technology.
What is the best way to do this? By reading a good old-fashioned book entirely written by humans. That is why we have compiled a list of the best books about AI to explore.
1) Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
One of the most popular books of 2018 and named Book of the Year by The New York Times, Life 3.0 is undoubtedly a must for any AI enthusiast. Written by Max Tegmark, a machine learning researcher and lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the book is an accessible entry point into the world of artificial intelligence.
Tegmark carefully analyses the latest advances in creating a new life form, Life 3.0, which could eventually surpass human intelligence. This possibility poses questions about how AI could impact not only economic growth, the organization of society as we know it, and how global conflicts are fought but also how it could change what it means to be human. In essence, Max describes AI as the central technology to transform the future of humanity and puts forward a roadmap for handling its power, as detailed by Vox.
2) AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
Kai-Fu Lee, the former head of Google China, published AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order in 2018 to provide an in-depth view of how AI is being developed in the US and China. While the two countries are heavily invested in developing this new technology, they have adopted different approaches.
Lee reflects on the implications of a new large-scale technological race and how it could increase the inequality in AI research and the development of other technological resources. Nonetheless, the author provides an optimistic overview of what AI could mean for humanity. According to him, machines can allow us to explore further what makes us human.
3) Human Compatible
Published in 2019, Human Compatible is an important title to understand the true implications of artificial intelligence further. Written by Stuart J. Russell, a world-renowned computer scientist and author of the most popular book on AI in history, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, this title sheds light on the latest advances in the field of AI.
Russel examines the concerns surrounding AI and develops his own proposal for AI control. The author reiterates the importance of developing a technology based on human values and how catastrophic it would be to do otherwise. The book was named the “most important book on AI” of 2019, as reported by The Guardian.
While these are some of the most popular books on artificial intelligence, you can also check out Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach or Applied Artificial Intelligence for more in-depth analysis.
