AI books worth reading

Traces the evolutionary history of intelligence — from the first neurons to the human brain — and uses those lessons to explain what modern AI can and cannot yet do.

A unique blend of fiction and nonfiction — ten short stories set twenty years in the future, each paired with analysis of the underlying AI technologies and their societal impact.

Two computer scientists cut through the hype to explain how AI works and why it often doesn't, and how to recognise when companies are using AI marketing to sell products that will never deliver.

A clear-eyed look at AI's past, present, and future that honestly addresses how intelligent AI systems really are, what they can do, and when they make mistakes.

A rigorous examination of the true costs of AI — from the mines that supply rare materials to the labour behind data labelling — revealing the hidden environmental and human toll of the technology.

The untold history of the Luddites reframed as a workers' uprising against technology imposed without consent — and a provocative lens for understanding today's conflicts between automation and labour.

A technology analyst's account of China's ambitious drive to master semiconductors, AI, and advanced manufacturing — and what it means for the global balance of technological power.

A deeply personal insider account of how things went wrong at Facebook — a sharp and candid memoir about the gap between Silicon Valley's idealistic rhetoric and its actual impact on society.

The definitive history of the global semiconductor industry — how a tiny sliver of silicon became the foundation of modern technology and the flashpoint of geopolitical rivalry between the US and China.

A practical and balanced overview of the current state of AI and its best uses — covering how people can work with modern AI tools more effectively without over-hyping the technology.

A reported investigation into how AI systems are quietly reshaping everyday life for ordinary people — from workers monitored by algorithms to communities caught in automated decision-making systems.

An analysis of how the US, EU, and China are taking radically different approaches to regulating Big Tech and AI — and what the outcome of that regulatory battle will mean for democracy and global power.

An in-depth investigation into OpenAI — its internal culture, the drama surrounding Sam Altman, and the broader dreams and contradictions at the heart of the world's most influential AI lab.

Cory Doctorow coins and unpacks 'enshittification' — the predictable cycle by which platforms capture users, then exploit them — and argues for structural fixes to the broken internet.

Two legal scholars explore how to design guardrails — rules, norms, and institutions — that let us harness AI's benefits while keeping human decision-making meaningful and accountable.

A stark and uncompromising argument from two AI safety researchers that the development of superintelligent AI without solved alignment is an existential threat — and that current efforts are dangerously insufficient.

A big-picture look at how advanced AI could reshape work, society, warfare, and human life, exploring the profound implications and what choices people still have in guiding the future.

A sweeping history of how information networks have shaped human civilisation, from early writing systems all the way to the rise of artificial intelligence.

A leading privacy law scholar examines how digital technology and AI are eroding personal privacy — and what legal and regulatory frameworks could meaningfully protect people in the modern data economy.

Two MIT economists argue that technological progress doesn't automatically benefit everyone — and draw on a thousand years of history to explain why AI's gains may be captured by the few unless societies actively intervene.

Examines how seemingly neutral algorithms and digital technologies can reinforce and even amplify racial inequality — coining the term 'New Jim Code' to describe discriminatory design.

Winner of the 2024 Financial Times Business Book of the Year. A gripping behind-the-scenes narrative of the high-stakes race between OpenAI, DeepMind, and Anthropic to develop artificial general intelligence.

AI researcher Gary Marcus makes the case that the current AI boom is built on fragile foundations — and calls for serious regulation and a more honest reckoning with what the technology can actually do.

Legal scholar Tim Wu examines how dominant tech platforms extract value from workers, creators, and consumers — and what antitrust and regulatory action is needed to restore competitive markets.

A critical takedown of the AI industry's inflated claims, arguing that the hype serves corporate interests more than human ones — and offering a vision of what a more honest and accountable AI future could look like.

An Emmy-award winning journalist's incisive investigation into how AI tools are already transforming hiring, firing, and workplace monitoring — and the serious risks when these systems get it wrong.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the smartphone-driven transformation of childhood since 2012 is the primary driver of the mental health crisis among today's young people.

A neuroscience law professor warns that brain-reading technologies are advancing faster than our legal protections — and makes the case for new 'cognitive liberty' rights before it is too late.

Written by the co-founder of DeepMind, this book explores the transformative impact of AI and introduces the 'containment problem' — the challenge of maintaining control over increasingly powerful technologies.

A counterintuitive argument that digital technologies and AI, designed thoughtfully, can be powerful tools for reducing inequality, fighting discrimination, and expanding opportunity.

An examination of how employers are increasingly using AI and data collection to surveil and manage workers — and what legal protections are urgently needed to rebalance that power.

A 2024 sequel updating Kurzweil's predictions about the accelerating pace of AI, arguing we are rapidly approaching the moment when artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence.

A wide-ranging investigation into how digital platforms — from social media to AI — have engineered an attention economy that profits by fragmenting focus and deepening polarisation.

A former European Parliament member argues that Silicon Valley has quietly accumulated more power than most governments — and lays out an urgent case for democratic oversight of the technology sector.

The story of Jensen Huang and how Nvidia went from a gaming chip company to the engine powering the global AI revolution — and why the GPU became the most critical piece of hardware in the world.

A moving memoir by the 'Godmother of AI' tracing her journey from childhood in China to leading AI research at Stanford — praised by Barack Obama and widely celebrated by business and policy leaders.

The inventor of the World Wide Web reflects on what the open web was meant to be, how it was captured by corporate and political interests, and what it would take to reclaim its founding ideals.

Buolamwini discovered facial recognition software couldn't detect her dark-skinned face — this book chronicles her journey to expose algorithmic bias and advocate for more inclusive AI technologies.

The story of Clearview AI and how a small startup built a facial recognition database from billions of scraped photos — a chilling account of surveillance technology running ahead of the law.