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AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter
In contrast to the wave of noisy polemics around AI, AI For Good explores how, in practice, it can actually improve our lives and tells the stories of everyday citizens at the forefront of this new “AI entrepreneurship.”
AI is often framed as a force of radical transformation, either catapulting us into a utopian future or dragging us toward existential ruin. But this book tells a different story. It’s not about high-profile tech CEOs who want to use AI to “break shit,” but about a bunch of smart pragmatists using AI to make the world better.
Josh Tyrangiel’s journey into AI began with a late-night YouTube video featuring General Gustave Perna, the retired four-star general who orchestrated the distribution of Covid vaccines during Operation Warp Speed. Perna’s success—and the end of the pandemic—depended on AI’s practical ability to synthesize and standardize vast amounts of logistical data. AI wasn’t the hero of the story—it was the tool that helped real people get things done.
This book follows those people, who make up a kind of AI counterculture. It explores AI’s quiet revolution in government services, medicine, education, and human connection—places where it’s being used to amplify human judgment rather than replace it. It tells the stories of teachers, doctors, and bureaucrats who often stumbled into AI as a means to solve specific, tangible problems, often with no prior software expertise.
While the loudest voices in AI debate doomsday scenarios and trillion-dollar market opportunities, this book focuses on those working in the messy, incremental, but deeply impactful space of AI practice. However, there is one big caveat—success is not guaranteed. Change is hard. Institutions move slowly. But even in failure there are lessons for everyone who’s interested in using AI—carefully, thoughtfully—to build a better world today.
AI is often framed as a force of radical transformation, either catapulting us into a utopian future or dragging us toward existential ruin. But this book tells a different story. It’s not about high-profile tech CEOs who want to use AI to “break shit,” but about a bunch of smart pragmatists using AI to make the world better.
Josh Tyrangiel’s journey into AI began with a late-night YouTube video featuring General Gustave Perna, the retired four-star general who orchestrated the distribution of Covid vaccines during Operation Warp Speed. Perna’s success—and the end of the pandemic—depended on AI’s practical ability to synthesize and standardize vast amounts of logistical data. AI wasn’t the hero of the story—it was the tool that helped real people get things done.
This book follows those people, who make up a kind of AI counterculture. It explores AI’s quiet revolution in government services, medicine, education, and human connection—places where it’s being used to amplify human judgment rather than replace it. It tells the stories of teachers, doctors, and bureaucrats who often stumbled into AI as a means to solve specific, tangible problems, often with no prior software expertise.
While the loudest voices in AI debate doomsday scenarios and trillion-dollar market opportunities, this book focuses on those working in the messy, incremental, but deeply impactful space of AI practice. However, there is one big caveat—success is not guaranteed. Change is hard. Institutions move slowly. But even in failure there are lessons for everyone who’s interested in using AI—carefully, thoughtfully—to build a better world today.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The world today seems split between AI Maximalists who view the technology as the solution to all of the world’s problems and AI Doomers who are certain the spread of artificial intelligence will bring about a long-feared dystopia.
In AI for Good, Josh Tyrangiel tackles a middle ground by starting from the other side of the equation. Instead of “what can AI do,” he asks, “how can I solve this problem,” and finds that sometimes AI is the solution. This book isn’t a prescient look into the future but rather a sober look at how AI is solving today’s challenges. It captures the successes, but also the struggles, false starts, backtracking, and messiness of the practical application in high-stakes settings of technology that changes week to week.
Through a series of compelling stories from the military, government, education, healthcare, and research, we’re shown how AI can move the needle on intractable problems, but only if it’s applied by a committed group of humans who deeply understand the problem and know how to navigate the people, politics, and culture that make up our organizations.
Tyrangiel shows how AI helped Operation Warp Speed ensure COVID vaccines were delivered when and where they were needed, how Khan Academy and OpenAI struggled to incorporate chatbots into Khan’s learning platform, and how the Cleveland Clinic is using AI to enhance patient care. In each case, the technology turned out to be the easy part.
In many ways, this is an optimistic book. We see people, most of whom have no special training in technology or machine learning or large language models, find ways to plug AI into a larger ecosystem to help them with their lives’ work. But this is also a sober book. There’s no magic wand any of us can wave, no single prompt we can craft. There’s no shortcut to doing the hard work.
AI for Good is not a book for Maximalists or Doomers. They’ve already made up their minds. It’s a book for the rest of us who show up every day trying to move something forward and wondering whether this particular tool is worth our time. For that reader, and especially for those who lead or work within the large institutions where change is slow and politics are unforgiving, Tyrangiel has written something useful. He doesn't promise transformation. Instead, he offers evidence that progress is possible, and an honest account of what it costs.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book. All views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Beyond a free review copy of the book, I was not compensated for this review.
In AI for Good, Josh Tyrangiel tackles a middle ground by starting from the other side of the equation. Instead of “what can AI do,” he asks, “how can I solve this problem,” and finds that sometimes AI is the solution. This book isn’t a prescient look into the future but rather a sober look at how AI is solving today’s challenges. It captures the successes, but also the struggles, false starts, backtracking, and messiness of the practical application in high-stakes settings of technology that changes week to week.
Through a series of compelling stories from the military, government, education, healthcare, and research, we’re shown how AI can move the needle on intractable problems, but only if it’s applied by a committed group of humans who deeply understand the problem and know how to navigate the people, politics, and culture that make up our organizations.
Tyrangiel shows how AI helped Operation Warp Speed ensure COVID vaccines were delivered when and where they were needed, how Khan Academy and OpenAI struggled to incorporate chatbots into Khan’s learning platform, and how the Cleveland Clinic is using AI to enhance patient care. In each case, the technology turned out to be the easy part.
In many ways, this is an optimistic book. We see people, most of whom have no special training in technology or machine learning or large language models, find ways to plug AI into a larger ecosystem to help them with their lives’ work. But this is also a sober book. There’s no magic wand any of us can wave, no single prompt we can craft. There’s no shortcut to doing the hard work.
AI for Good is not a book for Maximalists or Doomers. They’ve already made up their minds. It’s a book for the rest of us who show up every day trying to move something forward and wondering whether this particular tool is worth our time. For that reader, and especially for those who lead or work within the large institutions where change is slow and politics are unforgiving, Tyrangiel has written something useful. He doesn't promise transformation. Instead, he offers evidence that progress is possible, and an honest account of what it costs.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book. All views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Beyond a free review copy of the book, I was not compensated for this review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
AI for Good is a series of stories that all circle the same idea: AI isn’t going to save us, but it’s already deciding things that matter.
Instead of speculating about the future, Tyrangiel stays in the present. The Operation Warp Speed story strips away the mystique and proves that AI is not magic.
The education chapters show how the Khan Academy rollout was not smooth, which as a parent, didn’t surprise me. Students dislike it (mine included), teachers lean too hard on it, and districts try to reshape it. In Newark, it starts working for the school system because people refuse to give up on it.
Not everything works. The LA chatbot story just… unravels. It shows the cost of relying too hard on the hope that labeling something AI solves the underlying problem.
I’d heard the Eliza story before, but it’s one of those things that sticks. A 1960s chatbot that just mirrored users’ words back to them still created emotional attachment, even when people knew it was a script. The surprise wasn’t the technology. It was us. Now we’re doing the same thing at scale through ChatGPT and Claude.
In the recycling story, the system technically works, but only because it nudges behavior in a very human way. Not by being smarter, but by being persuasive. The line between intelligence and influence is thin.
It keeps coming back to the idea that the right move is to engage, to get your hands on the tools and shape them. That sounds empowering. But it also assumes a level of access and agency that not everyone has. It acknowledges this, but moves on quickly.
It also avoids going too deep into the incentives behind AI, which feels like a choice. This is not a critique of the system. It’s a look at what people are doing inside it.
It’s readable and doesn’t try to impress you. It tries to show you what’s happening. The message is that AI will amplify whatever we point it at. AI is not going to fix broken systems. But it will make them more efficient, whether we like that or not.
Instead of speculating about the future, Tyrangiel stays in the present. The Operation Warp Speed story strips away the mystique and proves that AI is not magic.
The education chapters show how the Khan Academy rollout was not smooth, which as a parent, didn’t surprise me. Students dislike it (mine included), teachers lean too hard on it, and districts try to reshape it. In Newark, it starts working for the school system because people refuse to give up on it.
Not everything works. The LA chatbot story just… unravels. It shows the cost of relying too hard on the hope that labeling something AI solves the underlying problem.
I’d heard the Eliza story before, but it’s one of those things that sticks. A 1960s chatbot that just mirrored users’ words back to them still created emotional attachment, even when people knew it was a script. The surprise wasn’t the technology. It was us. Now we’re doing the same thing at scale through ChatGPT and Claude.
In the recycling story, the system technically works, but only because it nudges behavior in a very human way. Not by being smarter, but by being persuasive. The line between intelligence and influence is thin.
It keeps coming back to the idea that the right move is to engage, to get your hands on the tools and shape them. That sounds empowering. But it also assumes a level of access and agency that not everyone has. It acknowledges this, but moves on quickly.
It also avoids going too deep into the incentives behind AI, which feels like a choice. This is not a critique of the system. It’s a look at what people are doing inside it.
It’s readable and doesn’t try to impress you. It tries to show you what’s happening. The message is that AI will amplify whatever we point it at. AI is not going to fix broken systems. But it will make them more efficient, whether we like that or not.
May 17, 2026
May 17, 2026
“AI For Good” is a well-written and engaging book that delves into the positive potential of artificial intelligence. The book is filled with intriguing stories and examples that demonstrate how AI can be harnessed for good, presenting a hopeful and optimistic outlook without being overly idealistic.
What I appreciated most is that it serves as a strong counterweight to many of the doom and gloom books about AI replacing people and destroying careers. Instead, it does a good job illustrating how AI can amplify human capability and creativity when used as a partner rather than a replacement. The examples throughout the book reinforce the idea that the most powerful outcomes will likely come from people and AI working together, each contributing different strengths.
That said, many of the stories stay at a fairly high level. At times it felt more like reading a collection of thoughtful long-form articles than a deeply immersive exploration of the topics. I often found myself wanting the author to go deeper into the experiences, decisions, and implications behind the stories. Still, a very worthwhile and timely read.
“AI For Good” is a well-written and engaging book that delves into the positive potential of artificial intelligence. The book is filled with intriguing stories and examples that demonstrate how AI can be harnessed for good, presenting a hopeful and optimistic outlook without being overly idealistic.
What I appreciated most is that it serves as a strong counterweight to many of the doom and gloom books about AI replacing people and destroying careers. Instead, it does a good job illustrating how AI can amplify human capability and creativity when used as a partner rather than a replacement. The examples throughout the book reinforce the idea that the most powerful outcomes will likely come from people and AI working together, each contributing different strengths.
That said, many of the stories stay at a fairly high level. At times it felt more like reading a collection of thoughtful long-form articles than a deeply immersive exploration of the topics. I often found myself wanting the author to go deeper into the experiences, decisions, and implications behind the stories. Still, a very worthwhile and timely read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
AI has people looking at the best and worst of what the future holds, but this book explains more of how it came to be, why it is the way it is and shows how it has learned how to help in many areas.
The most important thing I saw was how AI helped during the Covid crisis days. I never knew how slow bureaucracy would have been if AI had not been used to collect various diverse batches of info and make it useable. For all of us, it sped up location and distribution of supplies and vaccine to get it into the hands or arms of those who distributed it and those who needed it.
Content is dry at times, but factual. I'm glad I read it.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.
The most important thing I saw was how AI helped during the Covid crisis days. I never knew how slow bureaucracy would have been if AI had not been used to collect various diverse batches of info and make it useable. For all of us, it sped up location and distribution of supplies and vaccine to get it into the hands or arms of those who distributed it and those who needed it.
Content is dry at times, but factual. I'm glad I read it.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.
Want to Read
May 15, 2026Saw author on Late Show
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
As we often say: every cloud has a silver lining, and the same goes for AI, which is neutral in and of itself and, like everything else, depends on how it is used. In this case, the author highlights several examples to demonstrate that, when used to benefit people rather than replace them, AI can only be useful (after plenty of trials and errors, of course). An interesting book that, for once, doesn’t side with the usual doomsayers or accelerationists, but argues that we should all be part of Team Human—precisely to improve our lives, not to complicate them.
Come diciamo spesso in Italia: non tutto il male viene per nuocere e lo stesso vale per l'IA che in se stessa é neutrale e come tutte le cose, dipende dall'uso che se ne fa. In questo caso l'autore illustra alcuni casi dai quali prende lo spunto per dimostrare che, se usata a favore della gente e non per sostituirla non puó che essere utile (dopo parecchi trials and errors naturalmente). Un libro interessante che per una volta non prende le parti dei soliti apocalittici o degli accelerazionisti, ma stabilisce che dovremmo fare tutti parte del Team Human, proprio per migliorarci la vita e non per complicarcela.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Come diciamo spesso in Italia: non tutto il male viene per nuocere e lo stesso vale per l'IA che in se stessa é neutrale e come tutte le cose, dipende dall'uso che se ne fa. In questo caso l'autore illustra alcuni casi dai quali prende lo spunto per dimostrare che, se usata a favore della gente e non per sostituirla non puó che essere utile (dopo parecchi trials and errors naturalmente). Un libro interessante che per una volta non prende le parti dei soliti apocalittici o degli accelerazionisti, ma stabilisce che dovremmo fare tutti parte del Team Human, proprio per migliorarci la vita e non per complicarcela.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews