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I'm A Little Worried About Artificial Intelligence: On Jobs, Education, and Humanity's Purpose
Artificial intelligence is creeping its way into nearly every corner of life, changing how we work, learn, and interact. I’m a Little Worried About Artificial Intelligence is a quick, clear read for anyone who wants to understand what is happening and why it matters.
Written in an easy, conversational style, it delivers fast insights into how AI is influencing our jobs, education, and sense of purpose. Designed for readers without a technical background, this book makes AI understandable and relevant to everyday life. The goal is awareness and understanding, helping readers make sense of rapid change without the confusion or hype.
As a Learning and Development executive with hands-on experience in AI strategy and education, I’ve spent the past few years helping people see how this technology fits into real life. This book brings that same clarity, using stories, examples, and recent history to show where AI is taking us and what questions we should be asking.
This is not a textbook. It is a fast, approachable exploration of how artificial intelligence is shaping daily life and how we can stay aware, thoughtful, and prepared for what comes next.
Written in an easy, conversational style, it delivers fast insights into how AI is influencing our jobs, education, and sense of purpose. Designed for readers without a technical background, this book makes AI understandable and relevant to everyday life. The goal is awareness and understanding, helping readers make sense of rapid change without the confusion or hype.
As a Learning and Development executive with hands-on experience in AI strategy and education, I’ve spent the past few years helping people see how this technology fits into real life. This book brings that same clarity, using stories, examples, and recent history to show where AI is taking us and what questions we should be asking.
This is not a textbook. It is a fast, approachable exploration of how artificial intelligence is shaping daily life and how we can stay aware, thoughtful, and prepared for what comes next.
- GenresScienceNonfiction
139 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2025
About the author
Rich Bowers
2 books9 followersRich Bowers is an educator, writer, and consultant who has spent his career at the intersection of learning, leadership, and technology. With a strong background in learning and development, he has designed enterprise education programs, led global teams, and taught thousands of professionals how to adapt to the rapid shifts brought on by artificial intelligence.
I’m a Little Worried About Artificial Intelligence is his second book, following his earlier work Beyond Management. Both reflect his ongoing mission to help people navigate learning with clarity, perspective and a dash of dark, wry humor.
Outside of work, Rich is an enthusiast of ancient history and mythology. His fascination with andragogy, technology, and history books makes him a bit of a nerd. Fortunately, he does have a cool wife, Sierra. They live in New Jersey, surrounded by a surprising number of foxes.
I’m a Little Worried About Artificial Intelligence is his second book, following his earlier work Beyond Management. Both reflect his ongoing mission to help people navigate learning with clarity, perspective and a dash of dark, wry humor.
Outside of work, Rich is an enthusiast of ancient history and mythology. His fascination with andragogy, technology, and history books makes him a bit of a nerd. Fortunately, he does have a cool wife, Sierra. They live in New Jersey, surrounded by a surprising number of foxes.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 16, 2025
AI has been creeping into our lives for a while now but most recently I noticed it becoming more and more present in my career. I work in healthcare and AI in the workplace had me a little uneasy. This book was extremely helpful in making AI easy to understand and helped me become more aware of AI in my everyday life and the impact it will have in our future. This was a very easy read for a topic that has overwhelmed me for years. The author did a great job at explaining things without the complicated technical approach that most AI books tend to rely on, and he used the perfect touch of humor to make this informative read, entertaining and light. 10/10 recommend!
September 29, 2025
If you’re looking to understand Artificial Intelligence and its impacts at a basic non technical level, this is the perfect book. I learned so much from this book and now feel like I can easily contribute to AI conversations! It goes over a good history of AI and all the main areas it will impact your life now and in the future. My favorite AI book I’ve ever read!
October 15, 2025
Hey, if you're concerned or scared about AI, here's a book for you. Great for learning the history, where we are now, and where it's going, in an easy to understand way. Highly recommend!
March 4, 2026
I'm hedging this review right off the bat by saying this book is obviously self-published and it looks like the author is on Goodreads and will likely see this. I want to say that I'm engaging in good faith and want to leave an honest review of my thoughts.
Gonna put the TL;DR up top - This is the type of book that might be okay for your uncle who is being asked to use CoPilot at work, doesn't really know what's going on, and needs a primer on what an LLM is. But if you gave a copy of this to your friend who's a humanities professor, it might be the beginning of the end of your friendship.
I got an ARC from the author through a Goodreads giveaway - thank you, and nice touch including the sticker! I entered the giveaway because I am an AI skeptic and have been feeling inundated with pressure to use LLMs in particular, when I have not seen an overwhelming benefit as compared to the cost. I was hoping this book would be able to help me clarify those feelings and contain other resources on how to talk to others about why AI/LLMs and image generators are not the best thing since sliced bread. However, this is more of a book by an AI booster who is starting to feel some worry about unemployment and education issues (totally valid) and a sci-fi-like looming threat of artificial general intelligence, or even super intelligence, taking over a la the classic Paperclip game. The latter feels like a much further-out worry, since we can't get LLMs to stop adding imaginary articles to paper citations or making up sycophantic replies to individuals regardless of accuracy.
My main worry about AI is the environmental impact. This gets addressed once in the book, with a small graphic showing incredibly outsized carbon production, and then isn't really dealt with or mentioned again. However, towards the end, the author talks about how AI could solve the climate crisis or help humans with more efficient energy production. How can it do that when it is using incredible amounts of energy, water, and land? It is such a net-negative for the environment that I can't see what solution it could provide that wouldn't immediately undo itself by the processing power it took to get there.
If you, like me, were looking for a resource to learn more and spark conversations with others, I found this website which may be more of what you are looking for - https://against-a-i.com - and found their "teachable readings" section in particular to be helpful - https://against-a-i.com/short-readings/ Perhaps the author will write me off as a Doomer, but this isn't an opinion formed by lack of information or by writing off any pro-AI arguments that I hear, I swear!
My stance is that the proposed benefits of AI that are touted (plan easier date nights, create bullet points to skim the reading, somehow it will provide better healthcare and education even though it is prone to hallucinations) are, to me, nowhere near able to outweigh the negative outcomes (decreased reading comprehension and critical thinking, environmental impacts, mass layoffs, theft required for content training, rampant bias, AI psychosis and other mental health impacts).
The author makes it clear at the outset that AI is his job and that he is a trainer in this field, so I get that his job is on the line here and writing something against AI would not be in his best interest. However, I would find this book much more interesting if he addressed, in-depth, any of the topics or articles brought up in any of the articles linked above. But I get that this is a guy who has a full-time job, and getting a book out in any form is an accomplishment - and that with a topic like this, speed in publishing might have been more of the priority than in-depth research.
Toward the end of the book (p. 114) Bowers says this - "Some of the perks we've talked about will almost certainly happen, I just worry about how greed and self-interest could twist them. Just look at the US health insurance system. People pay into it...yet when it comes time to use it, companies throw up road blocks at every step. That's not a failure of technology, it's a failure of the people in charge of it. But hey, it's good for the stockholders!" - and I wanted to tell him that hey! you almost have it! this is something worth really digging into as a reason to worry!! capitalism will destroy everything for stockholders, include people and the entire planet!! But then I have to remember that I enjoy reading political theory and I don't think the author is as steeped in anti-capitalist discourse necessarily, or else he probably would have written a different book.
There are plenty of other things to talk about - this is honestly a rich text for being a relatively short book - but this review has to end somewhere. I do think that reading this spurred me to dig deeper, learn more from other sources, and come up with a more comprehensive view of our AI landscape than I had before. Reading this myself, finding other articles, synthesizing the information, and writing this review has helped me clarify my own thoughts, and I'm glad I didn't ask an LLM to do it for me, because otherwise I wouldn't have gotten those benefits :)
As critical as I've been, it's 2 stars and not 1 because Bowers has a friendly voice and is a human person trying to figure it all out just like the rest of us, and I appreciate his honesty about that. I felt compelled to leave such a detailed review because I felt like he was sorta my pal by the end of the book, and this is the kind of thing I'd want to talk to a friend about.
Gonna put the TL;DR up top - This is the type of book that might be okay for your uncle who is being asked to use CoPilot at work, doesn't really know what's going on, and needs a primer on what an LLM is. But if you gave a copy of this to your friend who's a humanities professor, it might be the beginning of the end of your friendship.
I got an ARC from the author through a Goodreads giveaway - thank you, and nice touch including the sticker! I entered the giveaway because I am an AI skeptic and have been feeling inundated with pressure to use LLMs in particular, when I have not seen an overwhelming benefit as compared to the cost. I was hoping this book would be able to help me clarify those feelings and contain other resources on how to talk to others about why AI/LLMs and image generators are not the best thing since sliced bread. However, this is more of a book by an AI booster who is starting to feel some worry about unemployment and education issues (totally valid) and a sci-fi-like looming threat of artificial general intelligence, or even super intelligence, taking over a la the classic Paperclip game. The latter feels like a much further-out worry, since we can't get LLMs to stop adding imaginary articles to paper citations or making up sycophantic replies to individuals regardless of accuracy.
My main worry about AI is the environmental impact. This gets addressed once in the book, with a small graphic showing incredibly outsized carbon production, and then isn't really dealt with or mentioned again. However, towards the end, the author talks about how AI could solve the climate crisis or help humans with more efficient energy production. How can it do that when it is using incredible amounts of energy, water, and land? It is such a net-negative for the environment that I can't see what solution it could provide that wouldn't immediately undo itself by the processing power it took to get there.
If you, like me, were looking for a resource to learn more and spark conversations with others, I found this website which may be more of what you are looking for - https://against-a-i.com - and found their "teachable readings" section in particular to be helpful - https://against-a-i.com/short-readings/ Perhaps the author will write me off as a Doomer, but this isn't an opinion formed by lack of information or by writing off any pro-AI arguments that I hear, I swear!
My stance is that the proposed benefits of AI that are touted (plan easier date nights, create bullet points to skim the reading, somehow it will provide better healthcare and education even though it is prone to hallucinations) are, to me, nowhere near able to outweigh the negative outcomes (decreased reading comprehension and critical thinking, environmental impacts, mass layoffs, theft required for content training, rampant bias, AI psychosis and other mental health impacts).
The author makes it clear at the outset that AI is his job and that he is a trainer in this field, so I get that his job is on the line here and writing something against AI would not be in his best interest. However, I would find this book much more interesting if he addressed, in-depth, any of the topics or articles brought up in any of the articles linked above. But I get that this is a guy who has a full-time job, and getting a book out in any form is an accomplishment - and that with a topic like this, speed in publishing might have been more of the priority than in-depth research.
Toward the end of the book (p. 114) Bowers says this - "Some of the perks we've talked about will almost certainly happen, I just worry about how greed and self-interest could twist them. Just look at the US health insurance system. People pay into it...yet when it comes time to use it, companies throw up road blocks at every step. That's not a failure of technology, it's a failure of the people in charge of it. But hey, it's good for the stockholders!" - and I wanted to tell him that hey! you almost have it! this is something worth really digging into as a reason to worry!! capitalism will destroy everything for stockholders, include people and the entire planet!! But then I have to remember that I enjoy reading political theory and I don't think the author is as steeped in anti-capitalist discourse necessarily, or else he probably would have written a different book.
There are plenty of other things to talk about - this is honestly a rich text for being a relatively short book - but this review has to end somewhere. I do think that reading this spurred me to dig deeper, learn more from other sources, and come up with a more comprehensive view of our AI landscape than I had before. Reading this myself, finding other articles, synthesizing the information, and writing this review has helped me clarify my own thoughts, and I'm glad I didn't ask an LLM to do it for me, because otherwise I wouldn't have gotten those benefits :)
As critical as I've been, it's 2 stars and not 1 because Bowers has a friendly voice and is a human person trying to figure it all out just like the rest of us, and I appreciate his honesty about that. I felt compelled to leave such a detailed review because I felt like he was sorta my pal by the end of the book, and this is the kind of thing I'd want to talk to a friend about.
February 12, 2026
In this book, the author focuses more on the impact of AI in our world - both currently and in the future - rather than the technology itself. He takes a look at how AI will not only impact the workplace (and possibly our own jobs), but how it will impact our day to day lives. And while the thought of AI and its powers may be scary, the author does a great job of outlining things that we all can do to make sure that we are prepared.
I found this book very informative and helpful. As someone who knows a decent amount about AI (but is definitely no expert) and does use it from time to time, this was the perfect amount of information for me. It's not super technical, so you don't need to understand the technicalities of AI and how it works, this book is simply aiming to get you to understand the impact it has now and will likely have going forward.
I work for a company that is very heavily invested in AI going forward. While my own job is not overly directly impacted, I definitely see the writing on the wall as companies move more and more towards AI. It can definitely be scary and I have to say that personally, I'm glad I'm at the end of my career rather than the beginning. I appreciate the way the author puts forward the hard truth with a bit of humor to try and make a scary topic for a lot of people more easily digested.
This book is short and an easy read, and I definitely recommend it if you are concerned - or just curious - about what the future holds for AI.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I found this book very informative and helpful. As someone who knows a decent amount about AI (but is definitely no expert) and does use it from time to time, this was the perfect amount of information for me. It's not super technical, so you don't need to understand the technicalities of AI and how it works, this book is simply aiming to get you to understand the impact it has now and will likely have going forward.
I work for a company that is very heavily invested in AI going forward. While my own job is not overly directly impacted, I definitely see the writing on the wall as companies move more and more towards AI. It can definitely be scary and I have to say that personally, I'm glad I'm at the end of my career rather than the beginning. I appreciate the way the author puts forward the hard truth with a bit of humor to try and make a scary topic for a lot of people more easily digested.
This book is short and an easy read, and I definitely recommend it if you are concerned - or just curious - about what the future holds for AI.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 16, 2026
I recently viewed a video of a child in a hospital that triggered an emotional reaction from me. After drying my eyes, my first response was to play the video for my spouse, followed with the question;
Do You Think This Is A.I.?
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly consuming our lives and many remain unaware that it’s happening. I remember teaching my parents how to use the internet and navigate social media. I taught my Grandparents about computers and emails. Now I feel like I am the one swimming against the most aggressive technology current yet.
Rich Bowers newest book guides you through the present state of A.I. as well as the unknowns to brace for what’s potentially ahead, all with a touch of humor that made these hard realities a little easier to digest.
He lays out who the tech giants are, both companies and individuals, and the moral and ethical decisions being discussed and/or bypassed. You get a clearer understanding of how A.I. is problematic to our education system as well as the countless jobs it will eventually obliterate. Bowers offers constructive advice that could make our future a little less disastrous by finding ways to work with the system instead of against it, because like it or not, it’s not going anywhere.
This was a very informative and enjoyable read!
Do You Think This Is A.I.?
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly consuming our lives and many remain unaware that it’s happening. I remember teaching my parents how to use the internet and navigate social media. I taught my Grandparents about computers and emails. Now I feel like I am the one swimming against the most aggressive technology current yet.
Rich Bowers newest book guides you through the present state of A.I. as well as the unknowns to brace for what’s potentially ahead, all with a touch of humor that made these hard realities a little easier to digest.
He lays out who the tech giants are, both companies and individuals, and the moral and ethical decisions being discussed and/or bypassed. You get a clearer understanding of how A.I. is problematic to our education system as well as the countless jobs it will eventually obliterate. Bowers offers constructive advice that could make our future a little less disastrous by finding ways to work with the system instead of against it, because like it or not, it’s not going anywhere.
This was a very informative and enjoyable read!
September 30, 2025
I really enjoyed it, though I am a bit biased.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews