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Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies Reprint Edition
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Superintelligence asks the questions: What happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? Will artificial agents save or destroy us? Nick Bostrom lays the foundation for understanding the future of humanity and intelligent life.
The human brain has some capabilities that the brains of other animals lack. It is to these distinctive capabilities that our species owes its dominant position. If machine brains surpassed human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could become extremely powerful - possibly beyond our control. As the fate of the gorillas now depends more on humans than on the species itself, so would the fate of humankind depend on the actions of the machine superintelligence.
But we have one advantage: we get to make the first move. Will it be possible to construct a seed Artificial Intelligence, to engineer initial conditions so as to make an intelligence explosion survivable? How could one achieve a controlled detonation?
This profoundly ambitious and original book breaks down a vast track of difficult intellectual terrain. After an utterly engrossing journey that takes us to the frontiers of thinking about the human condition and the future of intelligent life, we find in Nick Bostrom's work nothing less than a reconceptualization of the essential task of our time.
- ISBN-109780198739838
- ISBN-13978-0198739838
- EditionReprint
- PublisherOxford University Press
- Publication dateMay 1, 2016
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions7.6 x 1 x 5 inches
- Print length432 pages
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Get to know this book
What's it about?
The book is about the potential consequences of creating artificial intelligence that surpasses human intelligence, and how we can ensure that this new superintelligence aligns with human values and goals.Popular highlight
The Google search engine is, arguably, the greatest AI system that has yet been built.1,888 Kindle readers highlighted this
Editorial Reviews
Review
"I highly recommend this book" --Bill Gates
"Terribly important. Groundbreaking, extraordinary sagacity and clarity, enabling him to combine his wide-ranging knowledge over an impressively broad spectrum of disciplines - engineering, natural sciences, medicine, social sciences and philosophy - into a comprehensible whole. If this book gets the reception that it deserves, it may turn out the most important alarm bell since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring from 1962, or ever." --Olle Haggstrom, Professor of Mathematical Statistics
"Nick Bostrom's excellent book "Superintelligence" is the best thing I've seen on this topic. It is well worth a read." --Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator and Co-Chairman of OpenAI
"Worth reading. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes" --Elon Musk, Founder of SpaceX and Tesla
"Nick Bostrom makes a persuasive case that the future impact of AI is perhaps the most important issue the human race has ever faced. Instead of passively drifting, we need to steer a course. Superintelligence charts the submerged rocks of the future with unprecedented detail. It marks the beginning of a new era." --Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Berkley
"This superb analysis by one of the world's clearest thinkers tackles one of humanity's greatest challenges: if future superhuman artificial intelligence becomes the biggest event in human history, then how can we ensure that it doesn't become the last?" --Professor Max Tegmark, MIT
"Valuable. The implications of introducing a second intelligent species onto Earth are far-reaching enough to deserve hard thinking" --The Economist
"There is no doubting the force of [Bostrom's] arguments. The problem is a research challenge worthy of the next generation's best mathematical talent. Human civilisation is at stake." --Clive Cookson, Financial Times
"Those disposed to dismiss an 'AI takeover' as science fiction may think again after reading this original and well-argued book." --Martin Rees, Past President, Royal Society
"Every intelligent person should read it." --Nils Nilsson, Artificial Intelligence Pioneer, Stanford University
Book Description
About the Author
He is recipient of a Eugene R. Gannon Award, and has been listed on Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers list twice. He was included on Prospect's World Thinkers list, the youngest person in the top 15. His writings have been translated into 28 languages, and there have been more than 100 translations and reprints of his works. He is a repeat TED speaker and has done more than 2,000 interviews with television, radio, and print media. As a graduate student he dabbled in stand-up comedy on the London circuit, but he has since reconnected with the doom and gloom of his Swedish roots.
Product details
- ASIN : 0198739834
- Publisher : Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (May 1, 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780198739838
- ISBN-13 : 978-0198739838
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 7.6 x 1 x 5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Artificial Intelligence (Books)
- #21 in Artificial Intelligence & Semantics
- #115 in Unknown
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author
NICK BOSTROM is a Professor at Oxford University, where he is the founding director of the Future of Humanity Institute. Bostrom is the world’s most cited philosopher aged 50 or under. He is the author of more than 200 publications, including Anthropic Bias (2002), Global Catastrophic Risks (2008), Human Enhancement (2009), and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014), a New York Times bestseller which sparked the global conversation about the future of AI. His work has pioneered many of the ideas that frame current thinking about humanity’s future (such as the concept of an existential risk, the simulation argument, the vulnerable world hypothesis, astronomical waste, the unilateralist’s curse, etc.), while some of his recent work concerns the moral status of digital minds. His writings have been translated into more than 30 languages; he is a repeat main-stage TED speaker; and he has been interviewed more than 1,000 times by media outlets around the world. He has been on Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers list twice and was included in Prospect’s World Thinkers list, the youngest person in the top 15. He has an academic background in theoretical physics, AI, and computational neuroscience as well as philosophy.
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Customers find the plot riveting, sober, and comprehensive. They also say the content is interesting on many levels. However, some find the content boring, thick in speculations, and lacking depth and dimension. Opinions differ on the writing style, with some finding it scholarly yet accessible, while others find it dull and inhumane.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book interesting on many levels, comprehensive, and relevant. They also describe it as an excellent book that describes the risks that mankind will deal with. Readers mention that the book is philosophical, so it's not a brisk or easy read. However, they say it offers some valuable insights, particularly for science.
"...book is not for beginners on the topic, but easily serves as a comprehensive introduction to AI and Superintelligence, paradoxically...." Read more
"...Bostrom's thorough approach offers valuable insights and raises critical questions that will shape the ongoing conversation about AI and our future." Read more
"I liked this book but it is a bit heavy to read. However, the content is great" Read more
"...This is a thought-provoking book. It raises issues that I never even would have thought of had the author not pointed them out...." Read more
Customers find the plot scary, yet not alarmist. They also say it's riveting and comprehensive, with hard-hitting content.
"...Some of the scenarios described are frightening (in fact most) and the arguments for the several potential paths AI development can take are cogent..." Read more
"...Also, I really liked how there was no filler in this book, straight hard hitting content with huge vocabulary words...." Read more
"A thought provoking book but I feel the author is overly pessimistic, overlooks some key concepts, and seems pretty inhumane in his own thinking...." Read more
"Condensed, riveting and almost comprehensive. Written with clarity and logic that provides a range of scenarios...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the writing and content. Some find it incredibly thorough and well written, while others find the prose amazingly dull and academic. They also say the book is challenging and difficult, and reads as fairly abstract.
"...Expect incredibly precise language, but intuitive explanations and concepts that will absolutely expand your mind...." Read more
"I liked this book but it is a bit heavy to read. However, the content is great" Read more
"...His writing style is scholarly yet accessible, making complex ideas about AI ethics, future forecasting, and strategic planning understandable to a..." Read more
"...actually take over the world - and again it remains completely abstract and not original or practical...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the analysis. Some find the book very interesting, with abstract ideas and insights that provide a range of scenarios. However, others find it surprisingly unconvincing, deterministic, and simplistic. They also say the book is thin on actual facts and thick in speculations.
"...structure of concerns which float in reality upon a puff of very inadequate analysis." Read more
"...Meaning that it is often unnecessarily wordy and is some cases repetitive. The writing style is a bit hard to follow in some parts...." Read more
"...or are in that camp yourself, he does an amazingly thorough job of exhaustively envisioning and examining possible scenarios...." Read more
"...of time (let alone several orders of magnitude instantly) goes completely unjustified...." Read more
Customers find the book overwhelmingly boring, dull, and lifeless most of the time. They also say it distracts from the narrative and fails to engage.
"...It gets particularly boring when the author actually does spend pages over pages on introducing a framework on how our AI algorithms could improve..." Read more
"...of the many subjects the book is implicitly dealing with but failing to engage, there is a crucial failure to motivate its extensive considerations..." Read more
"...Bostrom is over-explaining too much and therefore distracts from the narrative...." Read more
"...A bit dry in parts, but there are humorous and entertaining parts as well." Read more
Customers find the book's content thin on actual facts and thick in speculations. They also say the book covers a lot of theory and has charts that can't be read on a kindle. Readers also mention that the context gets more unreal as they read on and that there are no concrete examples of events or developments. They say the content is too wordy without much content and is very dense.
"...The context gets more unreal as we read on...." Read more
"...While the hardcover is only 260 pages, it is very dense and can become a slow read if you are trying to fully understand each of the steps that the..." Read more
"...I have to be honest the book is a bit indulgent on speculation and without a true appreciation of the counter measures that inevitably will be..." Read more
"...It covers a lot of theory, has a lot of charts that can't be read on a kindle, and sums it up by saying, in effect, "who knows?" This..." Read more
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Bostrom is an impossibly powerful mind, and this book is akin to a bible as far as the topic goes. I strongly encourage anyone interested in being more informed about AI to read it. He really does touch on every single relevant dynamic from what could go right, economics, potential outcomes, various potential solutions, applications in health, war, etc, and so on. There is no stone left unturned and so you undeniably will be well versed on the conceptual aspects of the topic after finishing the book.
The book stands out for its rigorous analysis and balanced perspective. Bostrom carefully navigates the reader through various scenarios where AI surpasses human intelligence, discussing both the transformative benefits and the existential risks. His writing style is scholarly yet accessible, making complex ideas about AI ethics, future forecasting, and strategic planning understandable to a broad audience.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is its exploration of the 'control problem' - how humans could control entities far smarter than themselves. Bostrom does not shy away from the challenging philosophical and technical issues this problem presents. He also emphasizes the importance of preparatory work in AI safety research, encouraging proactive measures rather than reactive.
However, some readers might find the level of detail and theoretical nature of the discussions somewhat daunting. The book demands attentiveness and a willingness to engage with deeply philosophical and technical content. Additionally, while Bostrom presents a wide array of possibilities, the book sometimes leans more towards speculative thought than practical solutions.
"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies" is a seminal work in the field of AI and an essential read for anyone interested in the future of technology and its implications for humanity. Bostrom's thorough approach offers valuable insights and raises critical questions that will shape the ongoing conversation about AI and our future.
For example, in discussing the various ways in which AI might be implemented, he concludes that AI (and subsequently, super-intelligent AI) via whole brain emulation is essentially guaranteed to happen due to ever-improving scanning techniques such as MRI or electron microscopy, ever-increasing computing power, and the fact that understanding the brain is not necessary to emulate the brain. Rather, once you can scan it in enough detail, and you have enough hardware to simulate it, it can be done even if the overarching design is a black box to you (individual neurons or clusters of neurons can already be simulated, but we lack the computing power to simulate 10 billion neurons, and we lack the knowledge of how they are all connected in a human brain -- something which various scanning projects are already tackling).
However, he also concludes that due to the time it will take to achieve the necessary advances in scanning and hardware, whole brain emulation is unlikely to be how advanced AI is actually, or initially, achieved. Rather, more conventional AI programming techniques, while perhaps posing a greater need for understanding the nature of intelligence, have a much-reduced hardware requirement (and no scanning requirement) and are likely to reach fruition first.
This is just one example. He slices and dices these issues more ways than you can imagine, coming to what is, in the end, a fairly simple conclusion (if I may inelegantly paraphrase): Super-intelligent AI is coming. It might be in 10 years, maybe 20, maybe 50, but it is coming. And, it is potentially quite dangerous because, by definition, it is smarter than you. So, if it wants to do you harm, it will and there will be very little you can do about it. Therefore, by the time super-intelligent AI is possible, we better know not just how to make a super-intelligent AI, but a super-intelligent AI which shares human values and morals (or perhaps embodies human values and morals as we wish they were, since as he points out, we certainly would not want to use some peoples' values and morals as a template for an AI, and it may be hard to even agree on some such philosophical issues across widely-divergent cultures and beliefs).
This is a thought-provoking book. It raises issues that I never even would have thought of had the author not pointed them out. For example, "infrastructure proliferation" is a bizarre, yet presumably possible, way in which a super-intelligent (but in some ways, lacking common sense) AI could end life as we know it without even being malicious -- just indifferent to us while pursuing pedestrian goals in what is, to it, a perfectly logical manner.
I share the author's concerns. Human-level (much less super-intelligent) AI seems far away. So, why worry about the consequences right now? There will be plenty of time to deal with such issues as the ability to program strong AI gets closer. Right?
Maybe, maybe not. As the author also describes in detail, there are many scenarios (perhaps the most likely ones) where one day you don't have AI, and the next you do (e.g., only a single algorithm tweak was keeping the system from being intelligent and with that solved, all of the sudden your program is smarter than you -- and able to recursively improve itself so that days, or maybe hours or minutes later, it is WAY smarter than you). I hope AI researchers take heed of this book. If the ability to program goals, values, morals and common sense into a computer is not developed in parallel with the ability to create programs that dispassionately "think" at a very high level, we could have a very big problem on our hands.