Machine World

The tragic fate of the British airship R101—which went down in a spectacular fireball in 1930, killing more people than died in the Hindenburg disaster seven years later—has been largely forgotten. In His Majesty’s Airship, S.C. Gwynne resurrects it in vivid detail, telling the epic story of great ambition gone terribly wrong.

Have you ever chatted with a computer that seemed to really get you? Asked it a question and, seconds later, it gave you an answer that was actually useful—or even surprisingly insightful? If you’ve had that experience recently, there’s a good chance you were talking to ChatGPT. It might feel a bit like science fiction—an artificial intelligence that can hold a conversation, write emails, draft stories, explain complex topics, and even tell you a joke or two. But ChatGPT isn’t a futuristic fantasy anymore.

A new field of collective intelligence has emerged in the last few years, prompted by a wave of digital technologies that make it possible for organizations and societies to think at large scale. This "bigger mind" - human and machine capabilities working together - has the potential to solve the great challenges of our time. So why do smart technologies not automatically lead to smart results?

The Chaos Machine is the story of how the world was driven mad by social media. The election of populists like Trump and Bolsonaro; strife and genocide in countries like Myanmar, the rampant spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories as deadly as the pandemic itself, all of these are products of a breakdown in our social and political lives, a breakdown driven by the apps, companies and algorithms that compete constantly for our attention.

The machine that kills secrets is a powerful cryptographic code that hides the identities of leakers and hacktivists as they spill the private files of government agencies and corporations bringing us into a new age of whistle blowing. With unrivaled access to figures like Julian Assange, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, and Jacob Applebaum, investigative journalist Andy Greenberg unveils the group that brought the world WikiLeaks, OpenLeaks, and BalkanLeaks.

In a world where artificial intelligence is transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, The AI Odyssey: Mapping the World of Impact Tomorrow offers a comprehensive guide to understanding the far-reaching implications of AI in shaping our future. This audiobook navigates through the technological advancements, ethical dilemmas, and socio-economic changes that AI will bring to our daily lives and global systems.

What To Do When Machines Do Everything is a guidebook to succeeding in the next generation of the digital economy. When systems running on Artificial Intelligence can drive our cars, diagnose medical patients, and manage our finances more effectively than humans it raises profound questions on the future of work and how companies compete. Drawing upon real-world cases, data, and insight, the authors provide clear strategic guidance and actionable steps to help you and your organization move ahead in a world where exponentially developing new technologies are changing how value is created.

Soul Machine takes us back to the origins of modernity, a time when a crisis in religious authority and the scientific revolution led to searching questions about the nature of human inner life. This is the story of how a new concept - the mind - emerged as a potential solution, one that was part soul and part machine but fully neither.

Ever since its "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" commercials from the 1970s, Coca-Cola has billed itself as the world's beverage, uniting all colors and cultures in a mutual love of its caramel-sweet sugar water. The formula has worked incredibly well, making it one of the most profitable companies on the planet and Coca-Cola the world's second-most-recognized word after hello.

To most of us, it seems like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humankind. But to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who has been at the forefront of AI research, this moment has been a long time in the making.

Ember in the Machine (Book One of The Resonant Archive Trilogy) In the far future, memory is power. And the architects of silence are about to lose control. Five centuries from now, humanity thrives across a colonized solar system—linked by artificial resonance, DNA augmentation, and an engineered culture of forgetfulness. The Mneme Network governs memory. The media fabricates truth. And Kael Surn, the aging architect of this fragile peace, prepares to erase the last traces of collective grief. But his granddaughter, Aurora Surn, a former elite diplomat turned underground rebel, has ...

From a New York Times investigative reporter, this “authoritative and devastating account of the impacts of social media” (New York Times Book Review) tracks the high-stakes inside story of how Big Tech’s breakneck race to drive engagement—and profits—at all costs fractured the world, and is “an essential book for our times” (Ezra Klein).

The Victorian world of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells is barely recovered from a calimitous invasion from another planet. Thinking the battle is finally over, the two good friends, settle down and have families. But life is never that easy, and theirs is no different. While famous for taking part in the firstt War of the Worlds, now they are faced with leaving their beloved families yet again to combat a second invasion of Earth. And this time could be the opportunity the invaders have been waiting for...to utterly destroy mankind, once and for all!

In November 2022, a webpage was posted online with a simple text box. It was ChatGPT, and was unlike any app people had used before. It was more human than a customer service agent, more convenient than a Google search. Behind the scenes, battles for control and prestige between the world’s two leading AI firms, OpenAI and DeepMind, who now steers Google's AI efforts, has remained elusive—until now.

Meet Doctor Jens. She hasn’t had a decent cup of coffee in 15 years. Her workday begins when she jumps out of perfectly good space ships and continues with developing treatments for sick alien species she’s never seen before. She loves her life. Even without the coffee. But Dr. Jens is about to discover an astonishing mystery: two ships, once ancient and one new, locked in a deadly embrace. The crew is suffering from an unknown ailment and the shipmind is trapped in an inadequate body, much of her memory pared away.

The Complete Guide to Automation: Transforming the World, Work, and Daily Life is an essential resource for anyone looking to understand the profound impact of automation technologies on society, the workforce, and our everyday routines. This comprehensive book offers a deep dive into the mechanisms driving the automation revolution, from the basics of robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) to advanced applications in manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and beyond. Readers will discover the history of automation, tracing its evolution from simple mechanical ...

Transform your understanding of the AI-powered future with "Humanity Redefined" by Val Kaplan. In this thought-provoking book, you'll explore plausible scenarios of how AI will revolutionize our world over the next 40 years, from infusing itself into nearly every aspect of our everyday lives throughout this decade, augmenting our individual and collective intelligence, to the rise of "superintelligent" systems eventually leading to a post-biological future. By that point, the book foresees a world in which AI has not only transformed our workplaces and the economies they sustain, but has ...

Error Coins, Gold and Silver Coins, Even Bars Are Often Faked: Your Ultimate Guide to Authenticity Book Description: In the world of numismatics and precious metals, authenticity is paramount. "Error Coins, Gold and Silver Coins, Even Bars Are Often Faked" is the definitive guide for collectors and investors alike, providing crucial insights into preventing the purchase of counterfeit coins and bars, and identifying the most trusted dealers in the market. This comprehensive book is packed with detailed visuals, expert advice, and practical strategies to ensure every piece in your collection...

In this groundbreaking book, "Unleashing the Digital Powerhouse," we delve into the transformative capabilities of Google Scaffold, a game-changing cloud computing platform. From the birth of Google Scaffold to its impact on businesses and society, we embark on a journey through the digital architecture that underpins the modern world. Discover how data centers, cloud computing, and networking technologies converge to shape the foundation of Google Scaffold. Explore the building blocks of virtual machines, containerization, and Kubernetes, unlocking scalability and efficiency. Dive into the...

When ChatGPT was released, the world changed overnight. Even as we all played with the new toy, a very real danger was quickly coming to light: that untested automations would undermine our way of life insidiously, sucking value out of our economy, replacing high-level creative jobs and enabling a new, terrifying era of disinformation.