The Intelligence Explosion - by James Barrat (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

With the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence, both existential fears and uncritical enthusiasm for AI systems have surged. In this era of unprecedented technological growth, understanding the profound impacts of AI -- both positive and negative -- is more crucial than ever.

In The Intelligence Explosion, James Barrat, a leading technology expert, equips readers with the tools to navigate the complex and often chaotic landscape of modern AI. This compelling book dives deep into the challenges posed by generative AI, exposing how tech companies have built systems that are both error-prone and impossible to fully interpret.

Through insightful interviews with AI pioneers, Barrat highlights the unstable trajectory of AI development, showcasing its potential for modest benefits and catastrophic consequences. Bold, eye-opening, and essential, The Intelligence Explosion is a must-read for anyone grappling with the realities of the technological revolution.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Intelligence Explosion

"AGI maybe years or even decades (and not just months) away, but James Barrat is right; we are not prepared. And as Barrat says here, in The Intelligence Explosion, 'generative AI carries risks that are unlike anything we've faced before.' The time to act is now."
- Dr. Gary Marcus, NYU Professor Emeritus, and author of Taming Silicon Valley

"James Barrat pulls no punches in his powerful new book The Intelligence Explosion. He deftly explores the many perspectives on the AI tsunami about to crash into humanity. I believe there are solutions to the problems he describes and I am hopeful his book will help wake up us all to the urgency of taking action. Read the book and share it for the good of humankind, but keep your support network close as it can be quite disturbing."
- Steve Omohundro, Founder/Ceo at Possibility Research and Chief Scientist at AI Brain

"A great tension exists currently where people in AI or AGI labs understand that they are putting the rest of society at risk, yet the rest of society doesn't realize what is going on. James Barrat's work is important to help address this great disequilibrium."
-- Jaan Tallinn, founding engineer of Skype and Kazaa and a co-founder of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and the Future of Life Institute

"With snappy writing and entertaining anecdotes, The Intelligence Explosion unpacks the powerful cultural narrative that advanced AI poses an existential risk to humanity's continued dominion over our fragile planet. James Barrat is among those whose investigations lead him to conclude that the threat is real, and to date attempts to control or ensure advanced AI will be safe and benign have yielded no fruit."
-- Wendell Wallach, author of A Dangerous Master

"James Barrat's The Intelligence Explosion offers a comprehensive examination of the potential for recursive self-improvement in artificial intelligence systems. The book methodically outlines scenarios in which AI systems could rapidly exceed human cognitive capacities through iterative enhancements, presenting detailed analyses of the technical challenges and risks associated with such developments. From my perspective as an AI safety researcher, the work provides a rigorous and systematic assessment of both the transformative potential and the significant safety concerns inherent in the pursuit of advanced AI technologies."
- Professor Roman Yampolskiy, author of AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable

"When the machines outthink us, will they outmaneuver us? Barrat's Intelligence Explosion is a wake-up call we can't afford to ignore."
-Adam A. Ford, Futurologist, Data Architect, M.IT

"Is Big Tech gradually automating away all our jobs? And once we add nothing to the GDP will our AI and human overlords conclude we are a pointless waste of resources? James Barrat's The Intelligence Explosion makes well-argued cases for both of these outcomes, while drawing solutions from a minority of AI scientists who are trying to think us out of a totalitarian takeover, and maybe worse. Barrat lays the groundwork for thinking about these and related AI conundrums. Along the way he reveals aspects of AI luminaries such as Alan Turing, IJ Good, and Frank Rosenblatt, that rarely see the light of day."
- Remmelt Ellen, AI Safety Research Coordinator and author of Artificial Bodies

Praise for Our Final Invention:

"Enthusiasts dominate observers of progress in artificial intelligence; the minority who disagree are alarmed, articulate and perhaps growing in numbers, and Barrat delivers a thoughtful account of their worries."
―Kirkus Reviews

"Science fiction has long explored the implications of humanlike machines (think of Asimov's I, Robot), but Barrat's thoughtful treatment adds a dose of reality."
―Science News

"This book makes an important case that without extraordinary care in our planning, powerful 'thinking' machines present at least as many risks as benefits. ... Our Final Invention makes an excellent read for technophiles as well as readers wishing to get a glimpse of the near future as colored by rapidly improving technological competence."
―New York Journal of Books

"A dark new book by James Barrat, Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era, lays out a strong case for why we should be at least a little worried."
―NewYorker.com

"You can skip coffee this week -- Our Final Invention will keep you wide-awake."
―Singularity Hub

"Barrat has talked to all the significant American players in the effort to create recursively self-improving artificial general intelligence in machines. He makes a strong case that AGI with human-level intelligence will be developed in the next couple of decades. ... His thoughtful case about the dangers of ASI gives even the most cheerful technological optimist much to think about."
―Reason

"If you read just one book that makes you confront scary high-tech realities that we'll soon have no choice but to address, make it this one."
―The Washington Post

About the Author