Boom or Doom? - by Paul Thagard (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A novel philosophical and psychological examination of the strengths and risks of the new AI.

The new AI models are already raising difficult questions about knowledge, mind, agency, values, creativity, and regulations to shape future developments. These questions are deeply philosophical, dependent on general and normative issues concerning the nature of thought, reasoning, morals, art, and politics. In Boom or Doom?, Paul Thagard offers an intensive investigation of the social, scientific, technological, and humanistic consequences of recent developments in AI.

The book features:

• Principled investigation of the prospects of the new AI for achieving knowledge and intelligence, considering recent developments such as chain-of-thought reasoning.
• Appraisal of general intelligence and superintelligence based on a comprehensive theory of the features and mechanisms of intelligence.
• Assessment of the emerging "agentic" AI and robotic applications of AI.
• Review of areas in which AI can produce human benefits, and of areas of great risk.
• Evaluation of the most plausible causal scenarios that could lead to human subordination or extinction.
• Application of a new theory of government regulation to artificial intelligence.

A broad and rigorous guide to the morality and knowledge that AI raises, Boom or Doom? is essential reading for anyone who wants to go beyond doomsday hyperbole and exaggerated glorification of our newest technology.

About the Author

Paul Thagard is a philosopher, cognitive scientist, and author of 18 interdisciplinary books. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo. His books include Bots and Beasts (MIT Press) and Dreams, Jokes, and Song.