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How to Talk to AI
A BBC ‘BOOK YOU NEED TO READ IN 2026’
Discover how artificial intelligence thinks and reasons, and how we can make the most of their super-human abilities, in the must read new book from the prize-winning technology writer and author of The Dark Net and The People vs Tech.
‘[An] essential read’ Emma Saunders, BBC Culture Reporter
Knowing how to speak to AI – and how not to – is a skill that everyone now needs.
Hundreds of millions of people now talk to AI, such as ChatGPT, every day. They organise their finances and holidays, ask advice, seek therapy and find love – via machines. Almost overnight, chatbots are transforming society, politics and business. This is one of the biggest and fastest technological changes in history.
However, most people still don't really understand how AI works, how to make the most of it – or what the dangers are. As some people use it to turbo-charge their productivity at work, others are falling into dangerous conspiracies, delusions and psychosis.
In How to Talk to AI, award-winning technology writer Jamie Bartlett takes you inside the showing how we can stay in control of our powerful new companions, even as they are changing the way we live, feel, and think.
Written in his accessible style, How to Talk to AI is the essential and empowering guide to help you understand how to make the most of these incredible new technologies, without succumbing to new powers of manipulation and control.
Praise for Jamie
‘This book could not have come at a better moment’ Sunday Times
‘One of the world’s leading experts on the digital revolution’ David Patrikarakos, Literary Review
‘Eye-opening … Bartlett is an informal yet informed guide’ Times Literary Supplement
‘Confident and well-informed’ New Scientist
‘A hell of an achievement... Buy it and read it.’ The Times
‘Fascinating… Jamie Bartlett is an expert guide’ Independent
‘Highly readable’ Financial Times
‘Smart, provoking reportage… Required reading for anyone’ Tom Chatfield, author of Wise How Technology Has Made Us What We Are
Discover how artificial intelligence thinks and reasons, and how we can make the most of their super-human abilities, in the must read new book from the prize-winning technology writer and author of The Dark Net and The People vs Tech.
‘[An] essential read’ Emma Saunders, BBC Culture Reporter
Knowing how to speak to AI – and how not to – is a skill that everyone now needs.
Hundreds of millions of people now talk to AI, such as ChatGPT, every day. They organise their finances and holidays, ask advice, seek therapy and find love – via machines. Almost overnight, chatbots are transforming society, politics and business. This is one of the biggest and fastest technological changes in history.
However, most people still don't really understand how AI works, how to make the most of it – or what the dangers are. As some people use it to turbo-charge their productivity at work, others are falling into dangerous conspiracies, delusions and psychosis.
In How to Talk to AI, award-winning technology writer Jamie Bartlett takes you inside the showing how we can stay in control of our powerful new companions, even as they are changing the way we live, feel, and think.
Written in his accessible style, How to Talk to AI is the essential and empowering guide to help you understand how to make the most of these incredible new technologies, without succumbing to new powers of manipulation and control.
Praise for Jamie
‘This book could not have come at a better moment’ Sunday Times
‘One of the world’s leading experts on the digital revolution’ David Patrikarakos, Literary Review
‘Eye-opening … Bartlett is an informal yet informed guide’ Times Literary Supplement
‘Confident and well-informed’ New Scientist
‘A hell of an achievement... Buy it and read it.’ The Times
‘Fascinating… Jamie Bartlett is an expert guide’ Independent
‘Highly readable’ Financial Times
‘Smart, provoking reportage… Required reading for anyone’ Tom Chatfield, author of Wise How Technology Has Made Us What We Are
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2026
64 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Bartlett
11 books157 followersJamie Bartlett is a journalist and tech blogger for The Telegraph and Director of The Centre for the Analysis of Social Media for Demos in conjunction with The University of Sussex.
In 2013, he covered the rise of Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement in Italy for Demos, chronicling the new political force's emergence and use of social media.
In 2014, he released The Dark Net, discussing the darknet and dark web in broad terms, describing a range of underground and emergent subcultures, including social media racists, cam girls, self-harm communities, darknet drug markets, cryptoanarchists and transhumanists.
He regularly writes about online extremism and free speech, as well as social media trends on Wikipedia, Twitter and Facebook.
In 2013, he covered the rise of Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement in Italy for Demos, chronicling the new political force's emergence and use of social media.
In 2014, he released The Dark Net, discussing the darknet and dark web in broad terms, describing a range of underground and emergent subcultures, including social media racists, cam girls, self-harm communities, darknet drug markets, cryptoanarchists and transhumanists.
He regularly writes about online extremism and free speech, as well as social media trends on Wikipedia, Twitter and Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 21, 2026
Considering non-fiction books on two axes - readability on one and usefulness on the other, I'd give this book a spot in the top right-hand corner.
I use AI quite a lot at work. I love it for planning, and it's made a big impact on how I break down tasks and plan my bigger work. I don't use it for writing, but I often use it to help decide what to write. This book has been unexpectedly useful in getting me to look again at how I'm prompting, think about the things I'm not asking for, and be a little less accepting of the first results that come out.
Good fun. Entertaining, witty and mercifully short. Didn't outstay its welcome and gave me some new workflow ideas along the way.
I use AI quite a lot at work. I love it for planning, and it's made a big impact on how I break down tasks and plan my bigger work. I don't use it for writing, but I often use it to help decide what to write. This book has been unexpectedly useful in getting me to look again at how I'm prompting, think about the things I'm not asking for, and be a little less accepting of the first results that come out.
Good fun. Entertaining, witty and mercifully short. Didn't outstay its welcome and gave me some new workflow ideas along the way.
April 23, 2026
I’ve rated this 5 not because it is necessarily the best source of information and advice on the subject, but because it is an essential read for anyone that interacts with, knowingly or unknowingly, with AI. More particularly because anyone who has children, or parents for that matter, who unfamiliar with the risks of using AI need to educate them now!
Being an IH (Intelligent Human) is key to getting the most out of AI, and minimising the present and increasingly more dangerous risks of AI should be taught alongside other basic subjects.
However, AI is already here and everywhere. There are good things to be had, but far worse bad things. Bad actors are everywhere too. Forewarned is forearmed.
Getting into using AI so thought a CoPilot version would be an interesting learning opportunity. Revised version as follows:
**“I’ve rated this five stars not because it’s the most comprehensive guide to AI, but because it’s the one book I think everyone should read — especially those who interact with AI without realising it. If you have children or ageing parents who aren’t aware of the risks, this book is essential.
Bartlett makes a compelling case that becoming an Intelligent Human — someone who understands how AI works, where it fails, and how it can manipulate — is now as fundamental as learning any core subject.
AI is already everywhere. There’s huge potential, but the risks are growing faster, and bad actors are already exploiting them. This book doesn’t scaremonger; it equips you. Forewarned is forearmed.”**
Now the Claude version:
An Essential Read for the AI Age — 5 Stars
I want to be clear about this rating: five stars not because this is necessarily the definitive technical guide to artificial intelligence, but because it is quite simply essential reading for anyone who interacts with AI — which, whether you realise it or not, is almost everyone.
Jamie Bartlett writes with the rare gift of making a complex and fast-moving subject genuinely accessible without dumbing it down. He is neither evangelist nor doomsayer, which makes him all the more credible.
My strongest takeaway is this: if you have children, grandchildren, or indeed elderly parents who are navigating this world without understanding its risks, please put this book in their hands. AI literacy needs to become a basic life skill, taught alongside reading and arithmetic. We are not heading toward that reality — we are already in it.
Bartlett's central message might be summarised as: being an Intelligent Human is the key to getting the most from AI, and the best protection against its very real dangers. Bad actors are using these tools right now, and the gap between how confidently people use AI and how critically they think about it is a vulnerability that affects all of us.
This is not a counsel of despair. There are profound benefits to be had from AI, and Bartlett is fair in acknowledging them. But the risks are serious, accelerating, and unequally understood. Forewarned is forearmed.
Read it. Then pass it on.
Being an IH (Intelligent Human) is key to getting the most out of AI, and minimising the present and increasingly more dangerous risks of AI should be taught alongside other basic subjects.
However, AI is already here and everywhere. There are good things to be had, but far worse bad things. Bad actors are everywhere too. Forewarned is forearmed.
Getting into using AI so thought a CoPilot version would be an interesting learning opportunity. Revised version as follows:
**“I’ve rated this five stars not because it’s the most comprehensive guide to AI, but because it’s the one book I think everyone should read — especially those who interact with AI without realising it. If you have children or ageing parents who aren’t aware of the risks, this book is essential.
Bartlett makes a compelling case that becoming an Intelligent Human — someone who understands how AI works, where it fails, and how it can manipulate — is now as fundamental as learning any core subject.
AI is already everywhere. There’s huge potential, but the risks are growing faster, and bad actors are already exploiting them. This book doesn’t scaremonger; it equips you. Forewarned is forearmed.”**
Now the Claude version:
An Essential Read for the AI Age — 5 Stars
I want to be clear about this rating: five stars not because this is necessarily the definitive technical guide to artificial intelligence, but because it is quite simply essential reading for anyone who interacts with AI — which, whether you realise it or not, is almost everyone.
Jamie Bartlett writes with the rare gift of making a complex and fast-moving subject genuinely accessible without dumbing it down. He is neither evangelist nor doomsayer, which makes him all the more credible.
My strongest takeaway is this: if you have children, grandchildren, or indeed elderly parents who are navigating this world without understanding its risks, please put this book in their hands. AI literacy needs to become a basic life skill, taught alongside reading and arithmetic. We are not heading toward that reality — we are already in it.
Bartlett's central message might be summarised as: being an Intelligent Human is the key to getting the most from AI, and the best protection against its very real dangers. Bad actors are using these tools right now, and the gap between how confidently people use AI and how critically they think about it is a vulnerability that affects all of us.
This is not a counsel of despair. There are profound benefits to be had from AI, and Bartlett is fair in acknowledging them. But the risks are serious, accelerating, and unequally understood. Forewarned is forearmed.
Read it. Then pass it on.
May 8, 2026
This book is clearly aimed at readers who are only just getting to grips with generative AI: people who use it as a search engine, who have heard of hallucinations or risks of dependency, but who haven’t been following these debates over the last few years.
The book does a good job of organising the many topics that have been circulating in the press and in recent public debate, but it rarely explores them in depth from a cognitive, emotional, technological or relational perspective. There are plenty of case studies, stories and compelling arguments, but little structural explanation of what happens when we interact with these systems. At one point, I felt I was reading a well-written compendium of the anxieties and enthusiasms of the last three or four years, rather than a genuinely new analysis.
I was also unconvinced by what felt like a lingering fascination, particularly when discussing artificial creativity without sufficiently distinguishing between generation and intention. Similarly, the idea that we should become ‘master prompters’ by reading widely seems to me an oversimplification: communicating effectively with AI depends not only on mastering language, but on understanding the relevant domains deeply enough to formulate problems, detect triviality, demand rigour, verify, challenge and guide the machine with discernment.
Nevertheless, I recognise the book’s value as an introduction. For those seeking an initial overview of generative AI and its social impacts, it may prove useful. For those who have been working on these issues for some time, however, it feels like a belated summary: accessible, full of case studies, but conceptually lightweight.
The book does a good job of organising the many topics that have been circulating in the press and in recent public debate, but it rarely explores them in depth from a cognitive, emotional, technological or relational perspective. There are plenty of case studies, stories and compelling arguments, but little structural explanation of what happens when we interact with these systems. At one point, I felt I was reading a well-written compendium of the anxieties and enthusiasms of the last three or four years, rather than a genuinely new analysis.
I was also unconvinced by what felt like a lingering fascination, particularly when discussing artificial creativity without sufficiently distinguishing between generation and intention. Similarly, the idea that we should become ‘master prompters’ by reading widely seems to me an oversimplification: communicating effectively with AI depends not only on mastering language, but on understanding the relevant domains deeply enough to formulate problems, detect triviality, demand rigour, verify, challenge and guide the machine with discernment.
Nevertheless, I recognise the book’s value as an introduction. For those seeking an initial overview of generative AI and its social impacts, it may prove useful. For those who have been working on these issues for some time, however, it feels like a belated summary: accessible, full of case studies, but conceptually lightweight.
May 1, 2026
A genuinely nice book about Artificial Intelligence.
This is a really good starter book if you’re at all interesting in how to use AI. Jamie Bartlett has a good authorial voice, he’s knowledgeable but not patronising and shows a clear excitement about technology. This work is a good book, setting the scene, delivering good practical tips and giving the reader a good sense of perspective.
Here’s the breakdown though, using LLMs has a lot to do with creativity. Bartlett’s argument is that in order to get an actual result from an LLM you need to know enough about the topic to begin with to get a cognoscenti answer. That requires linguistic dexterity and creativity. Bartlett has written one of the most wonderful defences of the arts in a very long time. He looks at the future with a pleasant sense of optimism, but addresses and acknowledges a lot of the worst trapping a personal pocket assistant can have.
I enjoyed Bartlett’s argument throughout. There is a part in the middle where the book’s title becomes a little thin on the ground. It starts to feel less like a “how to” and more like a “how other people have” talked to AI. That is perfectly fine, becomes it is honestly quite helpful to have examples of the do’s and don’ts in this emerging world. Above all else, Bartlett presents a new frontier of communication, literature and bold new thinking, that aligns with enough of the past to be compatible but alien enough to feel like a realistic shift.
It’s all very easily written too. Bartlett makes some funny observations about how he has written the book, and it would be fun to pick through which parts feel more ‘smooth’ than if a human had written them. It delivers practical tips in understandable ways, with enough exposition to make it feel comprehensive. I enjoyed the approach a lot, it was a good read and it didn’t seem to bend in either direction of the spectrum for AI. Normally I’m opposed to this kind of fence sitting, but on this topic, with the author’s background, it feels appropriate.
On the whole, well worth checking out, a quick book to get through and certainly not a waste of anyone’s time. Unless you’re off grid enough that your only source of news is this book review.
This is a really good starter book if you’re at all interesting in how to use AI. Jamie Bartlett has a good authorial voice, he’s knowledgeable but not patronising and shows a clear excitement about technology. This work is a good book, setting the scene, delivering good practical tips and giving the reader a good sense of perspective.
Here’s the breakdown though, using LLMs has a lot to do with creativity. Bartlett’s argument is that in order to get an actual result from an LLM you need to know enough about the topic to begin with to get a cognoscenti answer. That requires linguistic dexterity and creativity. Bartlett has written one of the most wonderful defences of the arts in a very long time. He looks at the future with a pleasant sense of optimism, but addresses and acknowledges a lot of the worst trapping a personal pocket assistant can have.
I enjoyed Bartlett’s argument throughout. There is a part in the middle where the book’s title becomes a little thin on the ground. It starts to feel less like a “how to” and more like a “how other people have” talked to AI. That is perfectly fine, becomes it is honestly quite helpful to have examples of the do’s and don’ts in this emerging world. Above all else, Bartlett presents a new frontier of communication, literature and bold new thinking, that aligns with enough of the past to be compatible but alien enough to feel like a realistic shift.
It’s all very easily written too. Bartlett makes some funny observations about how he has written the book, and it would be fun to pick through which parts feel more ‘smooth’ than if a human had written them. It delivers practical tips in understandable ways, with enough exposition to make it feel comprehensive. I enjoyed the approach a lot, it was a good read and it didn’t seem to bend in either direction of the spectrum for AI. Normally I’m opposed to this kind of fence sitting, but on this topic, with the author’s background, it feels appropriate.
On the whole, well worth checking out, a quick book to get through and certainly not a waste of anyone’s time. Unless you’re off grid enough that your only source of news is this book review.
May 10, 2026
This is one of the best, most accessible, and practical books I have read on using AI and is a necessary corrective both to those who approach it's use uncritically and enthusiastically and the nay-sayers, luddites, and fear-mongers out there.
Jamie Bartlett has written an excellent book (transparently with the help of AI) with tons of great examples, uplifting stories, and cautionary tales. Even if you only have time to read his closing chapter "10 Habits for Talking to AI without Losing Control" you'd learn something you can do differently right away.
I highly recommend anyone who uses ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or any other LLM (and even those who don't for a whole range of reasons) read this timely and wise book at your soonest opportunity.
If your opposition to using AI is on environmental grounds or the giant tech firms' flagrant abuse of personal privacy and copyright laws, you may not find much comfort here; however, you will discover how you can use it wisely and judiciously should you choose to do so.
Jamie Bartlett has written an excellent book (transparently with the help of AI) with tons of great examples, uplifting stories, and cautionary tales. Even if you only have time to read his closing chapter "10 Habits for Talking to AI without Losing Control" you'd learn something you can do differently right away.
I highly recommend anyone who uses ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or any other LLM (and even those who don't for a whole range of reasons) read this timely and wise book at your soonest opportunity.
If your opposition to using AI is on environmental grounds or the giant tech firms' flagrant abuse of personal privacy and copyright laws, you may not find much comfort here; however, you will discover how you can use it wisely and judiciously should you choose to do so.
April 25, 2026
Brilliant short book. I learned a lot on the “guardrails” imposed by tech companies on Large Language Models (LLMs) like Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, Open AI’s ChatGPT & Co, what “jailbreaking” is, why “give me some advice on my personal life” might be the single most dangerous prompt and how one of the first chatbots from the 1960s was designed to be a therapist called ELIZA.
The author Jamie Bartlett openly admits to having used AI to write the book (in parts of course), which you can definitely see from the chapter titles. Nonetheless it reads well and is full or real-life, fact-checked anecdotes and full citations at the back. The author is a leading technology writer and founder of a research centre specialising in designing and applying AI software to understand social trends.
The author Jamie Bartlett openly admits to having used AI to write the book (in parts of course), which you can definitely see from the chapter titles. Nonetheless it reads well and is full or real-life, fact-checked anecdotes and full citations at the back. The author is a leading technology writer and founder of a research centre specialising in designing and applying AI software to understand social trends.
April 13, 2026
I decided to read this after listening to Jamie's interview in pod save the UK. I am one of the AI enthusiasts and I'm supposed to give a training on how to responsibly use AI at work in two weeks. All I want to do is say RUN TO THE WOODS. I will continue to prompt AI (for work) but I can't unsee that this is social media in asteroids all over again.
May 3, 2026
I don’t read much non fiction but this was fascinating. Easy to read and hugely informative about a topic we are all using with increasing frequency for ever more important tasks and decision making but (speaking for myself) know very little about. Informative and entertaining. Everyone who has ever used ChatGPT should read this.
April 14, 2026
Как да разговаряме с AI (и как не)
Моля ви, ако използвате AI прочетете тази книга за ваше добро.
Не е курс по prompt engineering. По-скоро - какво е LLM, как работи и как да го използваме безопасно!
Моля ви, ако използвате AI прочетете тази книга за ваше добро.
Не е курс по prompt engineering. По-скоро - какво е LLM, как работи и как да го използваме безопасно!
April 14, 2026
It was better than I expected. I use AI for simple things like drafting emails or correcting my non native English writing. However I noticed some of the issues mentioned in the book and now I feel like I am more prepared to handle it. 👍
April 11, 2026
A fascinating book that looks at how to get the best out AI, but also tells you how to avoid the dangerous pitfalls that can occur. An easy and entertaining read.
April 23, 2026
A must-read of the year. This is a truly terrifying book.
April 25, 2026
Concise, very readable and highly relevant for the times we live in. Great reference point to the transition of the new age of machine communication.
May 1, 2026
Unlike AI prompts recipe books that are flooding bookshelves recently, this book shows how human messed up with AI and through that show hints on how we shoul deal with AI.
May 3, 2026
Eindelijk begrijp ik iets van AI
May 5, 2026
An essential read for anyone using LLMs like ChatGPT, giving important perspective of what they can and can’t do, and the traps you can fall into.
May 9, 2026
Fascinating and terrifying. Very well written as one would expect from Mr Bartlett, I'm excited to see how much of this book is still relevant in 5 years.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews