Artificial Philosophy

Humanity has reached a critical moment. Our world is unsettled and rapidly changing, and we face existential risks over the next century. Various outcomes - good and bad - are possible. Yet our approach to the future is characterized by short-term thinking, polarizing debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. In this short, exhilarating book, renowned scientist and best-selling author Martin Rees argues that humanity’s prospects depend on our taking a very different approach to planning for tomorrow.

The world has never been so unstable. Now, more than ever, we need to understand our history, learn from our mistakes, and embrace science and technology as we push into the future. In his debut book, New Thinking: The Technology and Science That Transformed Our World, Dagogo Altraide of YouTube's ColdFusion breaks down the history of gamechanger breakthroughs in the world of science and technology that have shaped our modern world and will impact the future.

In this visionary book, Leslie Valiant argues that understanding the nature of our own educability is crucial to safeguarding our future. After breaking down how we process information to learn and apply knowledge, and drawing comparisons with other animals and AI systems, he explains why education should be humankind's central preoccupation. Will the unique capability that has been so foundational to our achievements and civilization continue to drive our progress, or will we fall victim to our vulnerabilities?

We live in a universe of endless potential futures. In this collection of stories, characters confront the unique dilemmas posed by the version of the future they inhabit. They struggle with dangerous technology, mysterious alien entities, gods, artificial intelligence, utopias, dystopias, and life itself. General issue science fiction stuff, in other words.

It seems that just about every new technology that we bring to bear on improving our lives brings with it some downside, side effect, or unintended consequence. These issues can pose very real and growing ethical problems for all of us. For example, automated facial recognition can make life easier and safer for us—but it also poses huge issues with regard to privacy, ownership of data, and even identity theft. Technology Is Not Neutral addresses one of today’s most pressing problems: How to create and use tools and technologies to maximize benefits and minimize harms.

What happens when the timeless philosophy of Plato encounters the cutting-edge advancements of artificial intelligence? In AI Debates Plato, the latest book in Richard Aragon’s innovative AI Debates series, you’ll witness a groundbreaking experiment that merges ancient wisdom with the future of technology. Imagine a fictional AI engaging in dynamic debates with a simulated version of Plato himself, diving deep into his most influential ideas—from justice and the ideal state to the nature of reality and the pursuit of knowledge. Using real AI models, this book presents a captivating ...

This is an audiobook about AI and AI risk. But it's also more importantly about a community of people who are trying to think rationally about intelligence, and the places that these thoughts are taking them, and what insight they can and can't give us about the future of the human race over the next few years. It explains why these people are worried, why they might be right and why they might be wrong.

In today's technological society, with an unprecedented amount of information at our fingertips, learning plays a more central role than ever. In How We Learn, Stanislas Dehaene decodes its biological mechanisms, delving into the neuronal, synaptic and molecular processes taking place in the brain. He explains why youth is such a sensitive period, during which brain plasticity is maximal, but also assures us that our abilities continue into adulthood, and that we can enhance our learning and memory at any age.

Law today is incomplete, inaccessible, unclear, underdeveloped, and often perplexing to those whom it affects. In The Legal Singularity, Abdi Aidid and Benjamin Alarie argue that the proliferation of artificial intelligence-enabled technology–and specifically the advent of legal prediction–is on the verge of radically reconfiguring the law, our institutions, and our society for the better.

Dixon Andrews walked away from his entire life when a chilling realization struck him – his groundbreaking AI work may have unwittingly fueled the insatiable greed of colossal corporations at the expense of humanity. Nestled in the solitude of his ranch, Dixon, haunted by the shadows of his creation, couldn't ignore the call to action any longer. However, the behemoth corporations had an overwhelming advantage, armed with the machinery of global industry. In a world divided by the haves and have-nots, Dixon grapples with his newfound AI-augmented powers, blurring the lines between man and...

This book is a profound exploration of the external influences that shape human consciousness, from healing rituals to digital devices. In this voyage through thousands of years of psychosomatic healing, distinguished anthropologist and sociologist Roger Bartra examines the placebo effect as a key to our understanding of human consciousness. Shamans and Robots demonstrates how biology and technology become intertwined within human culture by using the various histories of ritual and symbolic healing to speculate about future developments in artificial intelligence.

Cassique is a time travelling Fixer in AD 2853. It's his job to nip back into the past and fix problems which threaten to wipe out the world of the twenty-ninth century. But the longer Cassique spends in those past times, the more he comes to wonder if the docile, VR-obsessed people of his present would actually benefit from a reset. It's a dangerous thought, because that would mean taking a stand against Father, the world-running super-computer, and Father takes a very dim view of any form of rebellion. When Cassique teams up with a couple of relatively famous figures from the past, they ...

After butting heads with the megacorporation known as VectorCorp, it was only a matter of time before Lex Alexander and his girlfriend, Michella Modane, would face the consequences. It is remarkable what a single corporate agent with the resources of a multiglobal conglomerate can do to a person's career. In the space of a few days, Lex is looking for work, and Michella is feeling pressure from the network to ease off the hard-hitting stories. Not one to be silenced, Michella quickly hatches a plan.

As I set out to explore the myriad questions I've always had about life, I realized I had a powerful new tool at my disposal - artificial intelligence. Working together with AI chatbots and advanced language models, I embarked on a journey of discovery to satisfy my endless curiosity about the world around us. The result is this collection of 30 fascinating chapters, each diving into a unique topic that has long intrigued me. From the practical to the philosophical, we'll explore questions like: How do frogs digest the insects they eat? What makes us admire terrible people sometimes? Is ...

Virtually Human explores what the not-too-distant future will look like when cyberconsciousness - simulation of the human brain via software and computer technology - becomes part of our daily lives. Meet Bina48, the world's most sentient robot, commissioned by Martine Rothblatt and created by Hanson Robotics.

The governments started to crumble in 2073. There was no war. Just a collapse. I knew it was coming. I prepared. I collected a library of books - real, physical, paper books on subjects that I thought would be helpful. I found an abandoned military bunker for sale outside a small city in the wilderness. I didn’t bother to pay for it. I just moved in. Right now, I was just entering the closest thing we had to a city within two days’ driving distance. There were a few small towns closer but nothing that would have what I needed. I was looking for one place in particular. A bell rang as I ...

What if everything you thought you knew about learning was wrong? What if learning isn’t just a human or even a biological function, but a universal principle that governs everything from rocks and rivers to stars and machines? In Dumb As A Rock: Rethinking the Building Blocks of Learning, Justin Tucker challenges the boundaries of intelligence and opens a door to a revolutionary understanding of the world around us. Drawing on cutting-edge research from artificial intelligence, materials science, and quantum physics, Tucker explores how learning is not confined to the human brain, or ...

This audiobook’s content and entertaining style will appeal equally to science-fiction enthusiasts and scholars, including cognitive and neuroscientists, as well as philosophers of mind. It is a refreshing romp through the science and science fiction of consciousness.

Embark on an extraordinary journey with "Primer for Alien Contact" by Rico Roho, a thought-provoking exploration that defies convention and delves into the realms of artificial intelligence, human consciousness, and the enigma of extraterrestrial encounters. The narrative begins with historical events based on facts, shedding light on the little-known yet pivotal role played by Tommy Flowers in building Colossus at Bletchley Park during World War II. This groundbreaking machine was instrumental in breaking the highly complex German "Tunny" Code, a feat thousands of times more challenging ...

Dive into an extraordinary journey through the virtual and actual worlds with Richard Aragon's groundbreaking book, Navigating the Virtual: A First Hand Account of the Virtual From One Of Its Inhabitants. This book serves as a modern-day guide to understanding the intricate and fluid nature of the virtual space, inspired by philosophical discussions with AI models and the profound ideas of Gilles Deleuze. Discover a New Perspective on Reality Aragon takes you on an exploration of the virtual world, where the boundaries between the real and the virtual blur and intertwine. With a unique ...