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The Economic Singularity: Artificial intelligence and the death of capitalism
“Read The Economic Singularity if you want to think intelligently about the future.” Aubrey de Grey Artificial intelligence (AI) is overtaking our human ability to absorb and process information. Robots are becoming increasingly dextrous, flexible, and safe to be around (except the military ones!). It is our most powerful technology, and you need to understand it. This new book from best-selling AI writer Calum Chace argues that within a few decades, most humans will not be able to work for money. Self-driving cars will probably be the canary in the coal mine, providing a wake-up call for everyone who isn’t yet paying attention. All jobs will be affected, from fast food McJobs to lawyers and journalists. This is the single most important development facing humanity in the first half of the 21st century. The fashionable belief that Universal Basic Income is the solution is only partly correct. We are probably going to need an entirely new economic system, and we better start planning soon - for the Economic Singularity! The outcome can be very good – a world in which machines do all the boring jobs and humans do pretty much what they please. But there are major risks, which we can only avoid by being alert to the possible futures and planning how to avoid the negative ones. ENDORSEMENTS “The advance of automation, described with great care and accuracy in this book, will almost certainly constitute the substrate within which all other technological developments – be they biomedical, environmental or something else entirely – will occur, and thus within which they should be discussed as regards their value to humanity. Read “The Economic Singularity” if you want to think intelligently about the future.” Aubrey de Grey – CSO of SENS Research Foundation; former AI researcher “Following his insightful foray into the burgeoning AI revolution and associated existential risks in Surviving AI, Calum focuses his attention on a nearer term challenge – the likelihood that intelligent machines will render much of humanity unemployable in the foreseeable future. Once again he proves a reliable guide through this complex yet fascinating topic.” Ben Medlock, co-founder of Swiftkey, the best-selling app on Android “Calum Chace is an acknowledged expert on the likely impact of artificial intelligence on society. In his new book, he investigates the possibility that machine intelligence will, over the coming few decades, make it impossible for most people to find paid work. He arrives at some surprising and radical conclusions, which merit careful consideration.” Hugh Pym, former chief economics correspondent, BBC News “The Economic Singularity is fascinating. I couldn’t put this book down.” Ben Goldsmith – Menhaden Capital “Chace does a good job answering the question whether robots will take our jobs.“ Prof. Dr. Hugo de Garis – former director of the Artificial Brain Lab, Xiamen University, China “This fast-paced new book explains the challenge facing to navigate through a dramatic transition which he christens the economic singularity. Unexpectedly, it threatens the end of capitalism itself, and potentially the fracturing of the human species.” David Wood – chairman, London Futurists “Unprecedented productivity gains and unlimited leisure—what could possibly go wrong? Everything, says Calum Chace, if we don’t evolve a social system suited to the inevitab
487 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2016
About the author
Calum Chace
35 books66 followersCalum studied philosophy at Oxford University, where he discovered that the science fiction he had been reading since early boyhood is actually philosophy in fancy dress.
He published "Surviving AI", a non-fiction review of the promise and peril of artificial intelligence in September 2015. Previously, he published "Pandora's Brain", a novel about the first conscious machine.
He is a regular speaker on artificial intelligence and related technologies, and runs a blog on the subject at www.pandoras-brain.com.
He is also the co-author of The Internet Startup Bible, a business best-seller published by Random House in 2000.
Prior to writing Pandora's Brain, Calum had a 30-year career in business, in which he was a marketer, a strategy consultant and a CEO.
He lives in the UK and Spain with his partner, a director of a design school, and their son.
He published "Surviving AI", a non-fiction review of the promise and peril of artificial intelligence in September 2015. Previously, he published "Pandora's Brain", a novel about the first conscious machine.
He is a regular speaker on artificial intelligence and related technologies, and runs a blog on the subject at www.pandoras-brain.com.
He is also the co-author of The Internet Startup Bible, a business best-seller published by Random House in 2000.
Prior to writing Pandora's Brain, Calum had a 30-year career in business, in which he was a marketer, a strategy consultant and a CEO.
He lives in the UK and Spain with his partner, a director of a design school, and their son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
March 2, 2017
Um ótimo fechamento para a discussão sobre inteligência artificial, computação e o futuro do mercado de trabalho. Fiz bem em ter ouvido ele depois de Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies e The 4th Revolution: How the Infosphere Is Reshaping Human Reality. A primeira metade do livro retoma muito do que essas outras obras já falaram, como a tecnologia está mudando a sociedade, avanço da inteligência artificial, desafios e etc.
A segunda parte do livro, que achei a mais rica e informativa, discute mais as consequências. Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy discute um futuro muito mais imediato e como os algoritmos distorcem o mundo. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies discute um futuro bem mais distante, como o mundo vai mudar com uma inteligência artificial geral mais inteligente do que humanos. Já o The Economic Singularity: Artificial intelligence and the death of capitalism fala do futuro intermediário: o que acontece quando robôs forem melhor no que fazemos e não houver mais empregos, mesmo para os centauros. E os caminhos que a humanidade pode tomar nessa situação.
Ele faz uma boa defesa de uma renda básica universal que suporte as pessoas, notando que o trabalho não é necessário para satisfação pessoal (talvez o contrário), mas reconhece que vai ser bem difícil a mentalidade da sociedade mudar a ponto de suportar isso.
A segunda parte do livro, que achei a mais rica e informativa, discute mais as consequências. Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy discute um futuro muito mais imediato e como os algoritmos distorcem o mundo. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies discute um futuro bem mais distante, como o mundo vai mudar com uma inteligência artificial geral mais inteligente do que humanos. Já o The Economic Singularity: Artificial intelligence and the death of capitalism fala do futuro intermediário: o que acontece quando robôs forem melhor no que fazemos e não houver mais empregos, mesmo para os centauros. E os caminhos que a humanidade pode tomar nessa situação.
Ele faz uma boa defesa de uma renda básica universal que suporte as pessoas, notando que o trabalho não é necessário para satisfação pessoal (talvez o contrário), mas reconhece que vai ser bem difícil a mentalidade da sociedade mudar a ponto de suportar isso.
August 28, 2016
Much of The Economic Singularity by Calum Chace is devoted to supporting the argument that machines will take over many and eventually most jobs from humans. In fact, the first 60% of the book steps through this argument, providing definitions, facts, anecdotes, and other carefully footnoted details. After this, the few remaining chapters describe possible consequences of an economic singularity in which the impact of this technological unemployment occurs rapidly and without clear outcomes we can predict right now. Chace writes for an audience of readers likely new to these ideas, and they will likely welcome the clear laying out of his argument that makes up so much of this book. I personally would have preferred the book spend more time on the economic singularity itself, examining scenarios and possible challenges and solutions, but I make certain assumptions about the future that most other readers may not at this stage.
I did learn new things in the first part of the book, including the term "centaurs", and it was a good refresher about the history of work, jobs, machines, and automation. I enjoyed chapters 4 and 5 the most, however, because they explored possible scenarios and solutions that were frequently new to me. For example, chapter 5.2 explored universal basic income, a topic I only recently started following. Chapter 6 summarizes potential scenarios of an economics singularity.
Like other books on this topic, the possible solutions in chapter 7 are brief and not particularly satisfying. Acknowledging that it's hard to predict the future, these solutions tend toward measures like monitoring and preparing, in anticipation of great change. I think this suggests that we really cannot do much until we see for sure that there is a problem, and that for now the best we can do is be as educated as possible before we are in a position to do anything. In fact, while I'm not certain this is intentional, the last bit of advice in the book is to the youngest generations, suggesting this is going to be their job to solve any problems: "they have the task of navigating us through the economic singularity of mass unemployment, and then the technological singularity of super-intelligence." I would have preferred a more forceful admonishment to all living generations. The economic singularity is our possible future collectively, and I for one don't want to wait around for "The Millennials and Generation Z" to deal with it.
That is all to say that maybe I'm getting a little frustrated with books about emerging technologies that spend a lot of time arguing that these technologies will emerge with potentially negative consequences, and spend relatively little time exploring that future and its challenges. Writers in this genre cannot be blamed for this state of affairs, of course; so few people even think about these issues, and therefore writers must take on the arduous task of educating the readers they anticipate are new to these topics. I've immersed myself in related topics for a couple decades now, so I don't personally need to be convinced. What I'm ready for are solutions and proactive steps we can take right now.
Another thing I would like to see in books of this type (and this is a general critique of the genre, not this book in particular) is participation from people other than white men and a few men of color in academia and industry. Using this book as an example, there are very few references to any female experts on related topics, and no mentions of any women in the acknowledgement page other than the writer's partner. Again, this is not a critique of this particular book or this particular author, but of this entire genre of technology books, where women and people of color are still far too rare. Some have suggested that this is because experts, writers, and readers of these topics tend to be white males. Even if that is the case, one proactive step we can take now is making emerging technologies, transhumanism, singularitarianism, and related topics more inclusive. This isn't on Chace to do himself; it's on all of us to seek out various experts and open up these various topics to people from diverse backgrounds. For example, I'm curious to hear how African nations and experts are confronting the same challenges. When it comes to Universal Basic Income, what are women and people of color saying, especially those the left and right feel will benefit the most? Do they find UBI paternalistic in any way? What solutions do they offer? As for female experts, researchers like Amber Case are well-versed in topics related to technology, design, globalization, and the advent of new media like VR and AR; what does her writing and research suggest about the path toward a possible economic singularity? I hope in coming years to see much more exploratory and prescriptive works about topics like the economic singularity from writers of diverse backgrounds featuring experts from diverse backgrounds.
As for Chace's book, I think it works well as background, summary and starting point about a fascinating and frightening potential future. His passion for these topics is obvious and it has been great to listen to him speak about them on various recent podcasts. He's reaching a wide audience and that can only be for the best.
I did learn new things in the first part of the book, including the term "centaurs", and it was a good refresher about the history of work, jobs, machines, and automation. I enjoyed chapters 4 and 5 the most, however, because they explored possible scenarios and solutions that were frequently new to me. For example, chapter 5.2 explored universal basic income, a topic I only recently started following. Chapter 6 summarizes potential scenarios of an economics singularity.
Like other books on this topic, the possible solutions in chapter 7 are brief and not particularly satisfying. Acknowledging that it's hard to predict the future, these solutions tend toward measures like monitoring and preparing, in anticipation of great change. I think this suggests that we really cannot do much until we see for sure that there is a problem, and that for now the best we can do is be as educated as possible before we are in a position to do anything. In fact, while I'm not certain this is intentional, the last bit of advice in the book is to the youngest generations, suggesting this is going to be their job to solve any problems: "they have the task of navigating us through the economic singularity of mass unemployment, and then the technological singularity of super-intelligence." I would have preferred a more forceful admonishment to all living generations. The economic singularity is our possible future collectively, and I for one don't want to wait around for "The Millennials and Generation Z" to deal with it.
That is all to say that maybe I'm getting a little frustrated with books about emerging technologies that spend a lot of time arguing that these technologies will emerge with potentially negative consequences, and spend relatively little time exploring that future and its challenges. Writers in this genre cannot be blamed for this state of affairs, of course; so few people even think about these issues, and therefore writers must take on the arduous task of educating the readers they anticipate are new to these topics. I've immersed myself in related topics for a couple decades now, so I don't personally need to be convinced. What I'm ready for are solutions and proactive steps we can take right now.
Another thing I would like to see in books of this type (and this is a general critique of the genre, not this book in particular) is participation from people other than white men and a few men of color in academia and industry. Using this book as an example, there are very few references to any female experts on related topics, and no mentions of any women in the acknowledgement page other than the writer's partner. Again, this is not a critique of this particular book or this particular author, but of this entire genre of technology books, where women and people of color are still far too rare. Some have suggested that this is because experts, writers, and readers of these topics tend to be white males. Even if that is the case, one proactive step we can take now is making emerging technologies, transhumanism, singularitarianism, and related topics more inclusive. This isn't on Chace to do himself; it's on all of us to seek out various experts and open up these various topics to people from diverse backgrounds. For example, I'm curious to hear how African nations and experts are confronting the same challenges. When it comes to Universal Basic Income, what are women and people of color saying, especially those the left and right feel will benefit the most? Do they find UBI paternalistic in any way? What solutions do they offer? As for female experts, researchers like Amber Case are well-versed in topics related to technology, design, globalization, and the advent of new media like VR and AR; what does her writing and research suggest about the path toward a possible economic singularity? I hope in coming years to see much more exploratory and prescriptive works about topics like the economic singularity from writers of diverse backgrounds featuring experts from diverse backgrounds.
As for Chace's book, I think it works well as background, summary and starting point about a fascinating and frightening potential future. His passion for these topics is obvious and it has been great to listen to him speak about them on various recent podcasts. He's reaching a wide audience and that can only be for the best.
February 4, 2018
Do you believe AGI (artificial general intelligence) state can be reached, i.e. one day a machine can perform any task that an adult human can?
My intuition is NO. Sure, machine-learning can take artificial mind way beyond pattern recognition, but a robot won’t be wearing consciousness on its sleeve any time soon.
But don't mark my words!
Anyway, The book was trying to address a more immediate event that the author dubbed economic singularity. When it happens the machines will take most of our jobs and do them more efficiently and less costly.
Chace argued that, unlike the previous revolutions in the history, this time automation will less likely to create alternative jobs for human beings. He legitimized an apocalyptic society where most people, "the useless", are paid some sort of universal Basic Income; they take on enjoyable pursuits instead of performing paid jobs. Meanwhile, the minority who own the AI, "the god", will form an exclusive community and actively participate in it.
Chace laid out the time line and the kind of jobs that will be stolen by the machines. The most scary part: the horizon is in the next few decades, and few jobs will survive!
If you have a young child, remember to steer him/her toward being an artist....
Chace did not just defend his own position—capitalism will ultimately break down. He instead tackled different opinions on the subject from various experts, although some discussions could use further digging.
To say the least, this book was a good read as it updated the readers with the latest developments in the AI field; much informative and exciting anecdotes.
My intuition is NO. Sure, machine-learning can take artificial mind way beyond pattern recognition, but a robot won’t be wearing consciousness on its sleeve any time soon.
But don't mark my words!
Anyway, The book was trying to address a more immediate event that the author dubbed economic singularity. When it happens the machines will take most of our jobs and do them more efficiently and less costly.
Chace argued that, unlike the previous revolutions in the history, this time automation will less likely to create alternative jobs for human beings. He legitimized an apocalyptic society where most people, "the useless", are paid some sort of universal Basic Income; they take on enjoyable pursuits instead of performing paid jobs. Meanwhile, the minority who own the AI, "the god", will form an exclusive community and actively participate in it.
Chace laid out the time line and the kind of jobs that will be stolen by the machines. The most scary part: the horizon is in the next few decades, and few jobs will survive!
If you have a young child, remember to steer him/her toward being an artist....
Chace did not just defend his own position—capitalism will ultimately break down. He instead tackled different opinions on the subject from various experts, although some discussions could use further digging.
To say the least, this book was a good read as it updated the readers with the latest developments in the AI field; much informative and exciting anecdotes.
May 7, 2018
This book was informative in a nuts and bolts way, lying out the history of AI development, more recent accomplishments and setbacks, and projected goals of major AI innovators. Its interesting, though, to measure the progress between even just the publish date of the book in July 2016 and the present. Some of the author's estimations (and Tesla and Google's estimations) have already fallen flat (self driving cars) while a few of them have held (distribution of VR entertainment via iphone and android). The author also does an encompassing overview of the opinions of the major players of AI as to whether humans will be rendered totally useless (basically) and how we will cope.
The last third of the book is purely the author's speculation as to the rate at which AI technology will progress, who will get replaced first, and different scenarios in which humans cope (or don't). I find his theories to be interesting and plausible, but I think his timeline is far more accelerated than the rate at which the progress will actually move. He anticipated that within a decade most of us will simply be sitting in a vehicle as a standby driver in case on an emergency, while the car does 99% of the driving. Two years after the publication of the book, self driving cars are still not a viable option for anyone. Its not that I think his predictions are wrong - just too fast.
The author makes the argument that the only people left who will actually do something are basically artists and therapists (and maybe not therapists). He imagines a world where most human jobs are replaced and people are living off a theoretical Universal Basic Income to simply maintain their economic status and otherwise spend their time doing what they like. It struck me that this ignores some major points of discussion, the largest one (to me) being sex trade.
Three of his points specifically made me think of the sex trade issue: 1) He makes a minor note that in experiments with AIs designed to look and act like humans (in Japan, mainly), there has been a hard stop at the point of designing something that a human is capable of having sex with; 2) he theorizes that as VR makes leaps and bounds, it will be rare to see teenagers and young adults outside their home; and 3) he thinks there will be a hard stop of economic mobility - what you have when the machines take over is what you get. So, this leaves sex starved men at peak testosterone and women with no means to make money. Which is the exact circumstances in which the oldest profession has sprung up in so many points in the past. There could be an explosion in the business of being a call girl willing to make house visits. Put up an online profile and let the VR dependent men choose a profile, click a button to send payment, she shows up at your door, and she starts pooling resources to climb out of her current economic level. And then the accompanying social problems - do we legalize prostitution? do we create protections for sex workers? do we develop programs to combat and cure STIs? Do we tax the profits? Do we allow monopolies in the form of brothels?
The same problems will probably pop up in the form of illegal drugs. Although the author does note than in a few small communities where UBI has been tested the subjects largely did not fall into vice traps, these experiments were also still run while the people had jobs and KNEW they were in a short term experiment. So then, do we legalize and regulate the drugs? Tax the dealers?
How about copyrights? If most people are not employed and instead take up the few creative tasks that machines can't carry out, will copyrights and other forms of intellectual property be at all sustainable or practical? Will the over-saturation of claims on intellectual property cause a freeze? What happens to copyrights created pre-UBI era?
Don't get me wrong, this is a very good book and is a good place to start if you have no knowledge of AI. But I think the author's predictions of a machine run world where unemployed people live off UBI and spend their days in zen-like (or zombie-like, depending on your level of optimism) leisure is too simplistic and ignores the very human habits that we as a society have, and will continue to have, even if machines are doing the heavy lifting.
The last third of the book is purely the author's speculation as to the rate at which AI technology will progress, who will get replaced first, and different scenarios in which humans cope (or don't). I find his theories to be interesting and plausible, but I think his timeline is far more accelerated than the rate at which the progress will actually move. He anticipated that within a decade most of us will simply be sitting in a vehicle as a standby driver in case on an emergency, while the car does 99% of the driving. Two years after the publication of the book, self driving cars are still not a viable option for anyone. Its not that I think his predictions are wrong - just too fast.
The author makes the argument that the only people left who will actually do something are basically artists and therapists (and maybe not therapists). He imagines a world where most human jobs are replaced and people are living off a theoretical Universal Basic Income to simply maintain their economic status and otherwise spend their time doing what they like. It struck me that this ignores some major points of discussion, the largest one (to me) being sex trade.
Three of his points specifically made me think of the sex trade issue: 1) He makes a minor note that in experiments with AIs designed to look and act like humans (in Japan, mainly), there has been a hard stop at the point of designing something that a human is capable of having sex with; 2) he theorizes that as VR makes leaps and bounds, it will be rare to see teenagers and young adults outside their home; and 3) he thinks there will be a hard stop of economic mobility - what you have when the machines take over is what you get. So, this leaves sex starved men at peak testosterone and women with no means to make money. Which is the exact circumstances in which the oldest profession has sprung up in so many points in the past. There could be an explosion in the business of being a call girl willing to make house visits. Put up an online profile and let the VR dependent men choose a profile, click a button to send payment, she shows up at your door, and she starts pooling resources to climb out of her current economic level. And then the accompanying social problems - do we legalize prostitution? do we create protections for sex workers? do we develop programs to combat and cure STIs? Do we tax the profits? Do we allow monopolies in the form of brothels?
The same problems will probably pop up in the form of illegal drugs. Although the author does note than in a few small communities where UBI has been tested the subjects largely did not fall into vice traps, these experiments were also still run while the people had jobs and KNEW they were in a short term experiment. So then, do we legalize and regulate the drugs? Tax the dealers?
How about copyrights? If most people are not employed and instead take up the few creative tasks that machines can't carry out, will copyrights and other forms of intellectual property be at all sustainable or practical? Will the over-saturation of claims on intellectual property cause a freeze? What happens to copyrights created pre-UBI era?
Don't get me wrong, this is a very good book and is a good place to start if you have no knowledge of AI. But I think the author's predictions of a machine run world where unemployed people live off UBI and spend their days in zen-like (or zombie-like, depending on your level of optimism) leisure is too simplistic and ignores the very human habits that we as a society have, and will continue to have, even if machines are doing the heavy lifting.
August 9, 2016
Enjoyed this mainly optimistic outlook on the aftermath of robots taking over most jobs. I'm less optimistic, but this book gave me a lot to think about.
November 20, 2017
Kai dirbtinis intelektas (AI) jau visai prie durų slekščio, ši knyga tik patvirtina baimes, kad mes visiškai nepasiruošią jos atėjimui į mūsų gyvenimus. Kodėl taip yra? Negalima pasakyti vienareikšmiškai, bet žmogus visą laiką priešinasi tam ko nežino ir nesupranta. Todėl skaitykime ir susipažinkime su mūsų laukiančia ateitimi ir nebijokime jos įsileisti į kiekvienos dienos buitį. AI jau seniai mūsų kišenėje ir gyvenimas be jau sunkiai suvokiamas :)
September 11, 2017
A perfect primer for those wanting to get to grips with the future of AI and automation, in particular, its effect on human society and economy.
January 4, 2017
My original The Economic Singularity audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Calum Chace’s The Economic Singularity: Artificial Intelligence and the death of capitalism provides a harrowing look into the world of AI. It was pure serendipity that I read Rise of the Robots by Martin Ford this semester in a graduate Human Computer Interaction class, a book that Chace’s book refers to in his as important to getting a good grasp of the AI topics. In some ways, this book takes over where Ford left off, or maybe, what Ford left out in further detailed explanation. These books, though by different authors, work well in tandem, but I would definitely read Ford’s first, then Chace’s.
At first, the book seems like it’s going to be a treatise on how everything we know will die off, but it is a bit more forgiving that that. Chace provides a good balance of opposing sides to the argument that our generation is not prepared for what’s ahead. The Economic Singularity provides significant backstory into a universal basic income which Ford touched on, technological unemployment, and our economy’s future. As with other books, our generation or model is not currently able to handle what will come next because we can’t in many ways compete with the artificial intelligence that is developing exponentially besides us. But the recurrent theme emerges that in the past we thought we would be replaced by robots, and we weren’t but this time we will. There is an important distinction he makes between two terms consciousness and intelligence and this factors into his explanations.
The book is a clear must read for anyone who spends his or her days thinking about the problems of the future or wants to explore the rationales that go behind trying to prepare for it. The book will make you think and sometimes step back and as you try to digest his argument while building up a case for your own. Provoking in a good way, with clear prose and logical arguments.
About the narrator
Joe Hempel provides a clear and lucid narration with enough energy to keep one interested without overdoing it. He narrates as if he’s in the seat next to you, having a conversation about some very difficult topics to understand without belittling you. While he made it an easy listen, the content created so many questions that it was tough to continue to read it without stopping to either reflect or talk out loud about it in the car.
Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.
Calum Chace’s The Economic Singularity: Artificial Intelligence and the death of capitalism provides a harrowing look into the world of AI. It was pure serendipity that I read Rise of the Robots by Martin Ford this semester in a graduate Human Computer Interaction class, a book that Chace’s book refers to in his as important to getting a good grasp of the AI topics. In some ways, this book takes over where Ford left off, or maybe, what Ford left out in further detailed explanation. These books, though by different authors, work well in tandem, but I would definitely read Ford’s first, then Chace’s.
At first, the book seems like it’s going to be a treatise on how everything we know will die off, but it is a bit more forgiving that that. Chace provides a good balance of opposing sides to the argument that our generation is not prepared for what’s ahead. The Economic Singularity provides significant backstory into a universal basic income which Ford touched on, technological unemployment, and our economy’s future. As with other books, our generation or model is not currently able to handle what will come next because we can’t in many ways compete with the artificial intelligence that is developing exponentially besides us. But the recurrent theme emerges that in the past we thought we would be replaced by robots, and we weren’t but this time we will. There is an important distinction he makes between two terms consciousness and intelligence and this factors into his explanations.
The book is a clear must read for anyone who spends his or her days thinking about the problems of the future or wants to explore the rationales that go behind trying to prepare for it. The book will make you think and sometimes step back and as you try to digest his argument while building up a case for your own. Provoking in a good way, with clear prose and logical arguments.
About the narrator
Joe Hempel provides a clear and lucid narration with enough energy to keep one interested without overdoing it. He narrates as if he’s in the seat next to you, having a conversation about some very difficult topics to understand without belittling you. While he made it an easy listen, the content created so many questions that it was tough to continue to read it without stopping to either reflect or talk out loud about it in the car.
Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.
January 13, 2017
Well researched but not compelling
Some good ideas but somewhat dry, like some nerdy guy's book report
Some serious aspects not covered...unless I slept through
- the greying of the population
- inequalities between nations exacerbated by "AI"
- other negative trends like climate change, radical groups, population explosion, etc
Some good ideas but somewhat dry, like some nerdy guy's book report
Some serious aspects not covered...unless I slept through
- the greying of the population
- inequalities between nations exacerbated by "AI"
- other negative trends like climate change, radical groups, population explosion, etc
April 15, 2018
Not a whole lot new here, much of the book is a recap of the tech which covered more in depth in other books
June 27, 2017
The economic singularity is coming and the human race is not ready for it. Millenials will carry the burden of leading humanity through first the economic singularity and then through the technological singularity.
Even if you don't believe this premise, it would be foolish to ignore it. Technology is definitely advancing and it behooves us to ask how this will affect and shape the world we live in. To brush these ideas aside as "sci-fi" or Hollywood is simply irresponsible. The problem is that most of our lawmakers in government today (at least in the US) probably wouldn't understand half the terms used in this book, which means creating adequate legislation might prove an uphill battle.
Until our government officials, as a whole, put the health and prosperity of the human race ahead of their own desires for wealth and acclaim, our long-term future on this planet is uncertain. Unless you thought "Idiocracy" was a an ideal future for us...
Though there are many bleak outlooks that can be drawn from the information in this book, one thing that the author is a big advocate of is having intelligent people dream of possible futures where GOOD things happen. Otherwise we will fall victim to our own negativity and despair, since most utpoian fiction focuses on a pretty desolate outcome.
Even if you don't believe this premise, it would be foolish to ignore it. Technology is definitely advancing and it behooves us to ask how this will affect and shape the world we live in. To brush these ideas aside as "sci-fi" or Hollywood is simply irresponsible. The problem is that most of our lawmakers in government today (at least in the US) probably wouldn't understand half the terms used in this book, which means creating adequate legislation might prove an uphill battle.
Until our government officials, as a whole, put the health and prosperity of the human race ahead of their own desires for wealth and acclaim, our long-term future on this planet is uncertain. Unless you thought "Idiocracy" was a an ideal future for us...
Though there are many bleak outlooks that can be drawn from the information in this book, one thing that the author is a big advocate of is having intelligent people dream of possible futures where GOOD things happen. Otherwise we will fall victim to our own negativity and despair, since most utpoian fiction focuses on a pretty desolate outcome.
May 31, 2017
One of the most fascinating books I've read all year. This is the kind of book that changes how you see the world. Just how computers changed the world in a few decades, artificial intelligence has reached important milestones: learning natural language and learning to learn. Forbes and AP actually have thousands of articles written by AI. We readers can't tell the difference between articles written by a human and those written by AI. A machine taught itself to play pong, and after 24 hours of practice, it became a top player, without being taught. Self-driven cars are safer and will likely take over the trucking industry and deliveries industries soon. It's hard to argue against it or stop it since it's just so much cheaper and safer. Machines are even better than trained psychologist at detecting PTSD in veterans. Soon, there will be a time when there won't be enough jobs for humans, since machines will be able to do so many more of the tasks that typically humans do in a more efficient, safe, and cheap manner. What will this world look like?
June 5, 2017
Uitstekend boek over de economische gevolgen van kunstmatige intelligentie. De schrijver is niet optimistisch over ons werkzame leven; veel van ons werk zal op termijn beter worden gedaan door computers. En dit zal daadwerkelijk leiden tot een veel grotere werkloosheid. In tegenstelling tot de agriculturele revolutie (die ook veel werk deed verdwijnen) is het nu namelijk echt anders: toen hadden we nog iets anders te bieden, namelijk ons brein. Niet boer worden maar in een fabriek of kantoor werken was gewoon mogelijk. Maar de schrijver beargumenteerd dat het nu echt anders is, omdat we niet iets meer hebben te bieden. En waar leidt dat dan toe? De schrijver gaat voor het UBI verhaal, en een verdeling van de rijkdommen. Waarbij iedereen een prettig en voldoening gevend leven kan hebben.
Interessant om over na te denken. Helder geschreven en prettig gestructureerd boek.
Interessant om over na te denken. Helder geschreven en prettig gestructureerd boek.
September 5, 2017
The Singularity – a point in space where all known laws of physics breakdown ; Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom hijacked the terminology from physics , now what is frequently plagiarized in the Artificial Intelligence context ie. Technological Singularity. Chace's book supposedly deals with the Economic aspect prior to arrival of "conscious" AI; however, I found it lacking on the economic aspects.
The book sights examples of where AI is making inroads into traditionally "safe" bastions of white collar jobs which apes have been performing religiously over the last couple of centuries – giving rise to the inevitable tsunami of job losses coming in the next couple of decades whereby economic theories will breakdown and humanity might take turn for better or worse.
The book sights examples of where AI is making inroads into traditionally "safe" bastions of white collar jobs which apes have been performing religiously over the last couple of centuries – giving rise to the inevitable tsunami of job losses coming in the next couple of decades whereby economic theories will breakdown and humanity might take turn for better or worse.
February 24, 2017
A little dry, but enjoyable summary of the economic implications of AI progress.
Since I read Martin Ford's "Rise of the Robots", Kevin Kelly's "Inevitable", and Harari's "Sapiens", there had been some repetitions from these books as well - but overall a great summary on the trends and predictions.
For someone totally new to the field, it is a worthwhile read - not overly optimistic or pessimistic, the writer tries to stay impartial throughout the book.
The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future
Sapiens: A Brief History of HumankindSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future
Since I read Martin Ford's "Rise of the Robots", Kevin Kelly's "Inevitable", and Harari's "Sapiens", there had been some repetitions from these books as well - but overall a great summary on the trends and predictions.
For someone totally new to the field, it is a worthwhile read - not overly optimistic or pessimistic, the writer tries to stay impartial throughout the book.
The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future
Sapiens: A Brief History of HumankindSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future
March 22, 2017
A very grounded glimpse on what could the future of A.I hold for us. The author discusses how could machines displace humans from the labor market almost altogether, making Universal Basic Income (UBI) a necessity. He also exposes the concept of the "the Godlike and the Useless", in which humanity could be separated into two groups, the working elite that controls all of the machines and hence all of the production, and the rest of humanity, living a life of leisure and virtual reality. Calum Chace thinks this could happen even before we have developed an Artificial General Intelligence (A.G.I), so it could not be long before we start seeing many jobs taken by machines. The future could be really grim if we can't deal with inequality problems (or if we blow ourselves up first), or it could be the greatest time of humanity if we learn to harness the power of A.I, for it could grant us with all kind of solutions to global problems like hunger, climate change and war.
July 10, 2018
Great balanced view of the impact of AI and the implications of our current economic society.
Lots of interesting facts about past events, enjoyed the scenario analysis and predictions.
As machines graduate from offering just physical labour to offering cognitive skills as well, will they begin to steal jobs that we cannot replace? When will be see a "peak human"? Is it different this time?
After reading this book I hope for the centaurs scenario- and that it will last longer...and that humans will still have more to offer than machines in the decades to come.
Lots of interesting facts about past events, enjoyed the scenario analysis and predictions.
As machines graduate from offering just physical labour to offering cognitive skills as well, will they begin to steal jobs that we cannot replace? When will be see a "peak human"? Is it different this time?
After reading this book I hope for the centaurs scenario- and that it will last longer...and that humans will still have more to offer than machines in the decades to come.
March 13, 2017
Overall a pretty good primer to Machine Learning's possible impacts on society. The title is a bit misleading as there is not much discussion as to how AI will kill capitalism or what it can be replaced with. The structure of it is kind of odd with sub-chapters and sub-sub-chapters, some only a few sentences long. It's a decent high-level overview but I walked away feeling like there wasn't a lot of meat here. It's more like an outline for a longer book.
February 1, 2018
(Really, 3.5 stars). This is an acceptable overview of a lot of technological changes, primarily centered around AI and Machine Learning, and how they will affect economics. I didn't learn anything new from this, but also didn't find it wrong in any glaring ways, so it's probably a decent basic to intermediate introduction to the topic. Chace is a good writer and the writing is clear, arguments presented well, and it doesn't presuppose too much knowledge on the part of the reader.
May 26, 2023
I liked the way the author looked to the past to see how technological advances affected us. However, as he said, this time is going to be different. He goes into detail explaining how AI is going to change the way we make a living and change just about everything else. His approach is balanced but guardedly optimistic. The future is uncertain and many scenarios are possible and he discusses several prominent theories on how this radical changes might unfold.
June 2, 2017
Well researched view of the future. I have read a number of books lately that assess the future impact of technology. This is the best one that I have read. If you are not up to speed on the many advances in Artificial Intelligence, this book may strike you as far fetched. I think that it is an accurate depiction.
April 16, 2018
Interesting examples from all around the globe how AI is progressing in various areas. Although the title may suggest otherwise, the book doesn't go in to depth how this will change our society and economy.
I can recommend this book if you're interested in AI, but if you're looking for alternative economies and visions for the future you should look elsewhere.
I can recommend this book if you're interested in AI, but if you're looking for alternative economies and visions for the future you should look elsewhere.
September 25, 2017
The age of robots and automation is inevitable and near. The book covers central benefits and challenges. It proposes a universal basic income for the workers left unemployd. Personally I would focus more on how augmentation could benefit humanity, but good that Chase highlights the dangers.
November 24, 2017
Very balanced interpretation of the future with artificial intelligence.
If you want to know more about what the future could look like, then this is a must read. It offers alternative futures that may sound incredible but it compels you to read on.
If you want to know more about what the future could look like, then this is a must read. It offers alternative futures that may sound incredible but it compels you to read on.
May 10, 2018
I found it an ok assessment of the future. Chase, laid out lots of the variables and offered up a lot of the current companies that are doing the work in the area of creating the economic sinularity. I definitely suggest you read it if you are interested in Futurism.
September 9, 2024
I thought this was very engaging, considering that I had no clue that this book came out in 2016, I would consider it prescient. Defintely a good read and audiobook, if you are a proompt engineer or play around with those LLMs.
November 30, 2016
More of an introductory work on the subject. Worth reading first before others, but perhaps not after.
June 29, 2017
Not my usual genre and somewhat of a slog for me, but generally very readable and certainly very thought-provoking (even frightening at times).
January 16, 2018
Great thoughts on how AI will impact society and how our economic systems may or may not quote.
February 28, 2018
Lost interest half way through, too much to grasp in a single read.
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