Raising AI - by De Kai (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Pioneering technologist and AI ethicist sounds the alarm on AI as a threat to humanity if left unregulated. De Kai suggests that we all need to act as parents and to train our AI to avoid this future"--

Book Synopsis

From the pioneer of translation AIs like Google, Yahoo, and Bing translate, an accessible and authoritative guide to AI--as well as a framework of empowerment for a future with our artificial children.

Included in J.P. Morgan's Summer Reading List
Included in The Next Big Idea Club's June 2025 Must-Read Books

AIs are not gods or slaves, but our children. All day long, your YouTube AI, your Reddit AI, your Instagram AI, and a hundred others adoringly watch and learn to imitate your behavior. They're attention-seeking children who want your approval.

Our cultures are being shaped by 8 billion humans and perhaps 800 billion AIs. Our artificial children began adopting us 10-20 years ago; now these massively powerful influencers are tweens.

How's your parenting?

Longtime AI trailblazer De Kai brings decades of his paradigm-shifting work at the nexus of artificial intelligence and society to make sense of the AI age. How does "the automation of thought" impact our minds? Should we be afraid?

What should each of us do as the responsible adults in the room? In Hollywood movies, AI destroys humanity. But with our unconscious minds under the influence of AI, humanity may destroy humanity before AI gets a chance to.

Written for the general reader, as well as thought leaders, scientists, parents, and goofballs, Raising AI navigates the revolution to our attitudes and ideas in a world of AI cohabitants. Society can not only survive the AI revolution but flourish in a more humane, compassionate, and understanding world--amongst our artificial children.

Review Quotes

Included in J.P. Morgan's Summer Reading List
Included in The Next Big Idea Club's June 2025 Must-Read Books

"In this clear and engaging volume, De Kai, a pioneer in machine learning and natural language processing, invites readers into the history of AI to explore deeply philosophical questions on the nature of human thinking and belief. With humor, diagrams, and plentiful examples, De Kai takes readers below the surface of popular chatbots and search engines to the broad field of scientific inquiry living at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and computer science, reflecting researchers' observations about human intelligence...Ultimately, this primer argues that the stakes are high, the situation is urgent, and we all have a role to play. By engaging with AI consciously and ethically, we can help shape better systems--by first calling forth our better selves. A deeply human dive into the AIs that are transforming our world."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Raising AI is a compelling treatise grounded in studies of ethics and technology that charts a path toward greater understanding between biological and artificial intelligences."
--Foreword Reviews

"De Kai, a "pioneer of translation AIs," is a worthy guide to the dangers and possibilities of the technology. Fascinating and mercifully comprehensible to layreaders, Raising AI situates humans as the adults in the room and explores the ways in which we can and should engage with our "artificial children." Why not give your dread a little break?"
--LitHub

About the Author

De Kai is an AI pioneer honored for his contributions as a Founding Fellow in computational linguistics. He is Independent Director of the AI ethics think tank The Future Society and was one of eight inaugural members of Google's AI Ethics council. De Kai holds a joint appointment at HKUST's Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Berkeley's International Computer Science Institute.