Pandora's Brain

by Calum Chace

Around half the scientists researching artificial intelligence (AI) think that a conscious AI at or beyond human level will be created by 2050. If they are right, the consequence could be an intelligence explosion, in which the AI rapidly and enormously exceeds human cognitive ability.

Pandora's Brain is a science and philosophy thriller by best-selling writer Calum Chace. It uses the issues raised by the coming machine intelligence explosion as a platform for a fast-paced and thought-provoking adventure story.

Set in the very near future, it features Matt, a shy but engaging and resourceful student who discovers that his recently-deceased father was involved in research that could enable the construction of the world's first conscious machine.

Matt's enquiries lead to him being kidnapped, as he is caught in the crossfire between two groups pursuing that goal - one led by a Russian billionaire, and another backed by the US military. Matt has to do more than simply survive: he has to harness these powerful forces to his own ends. At stake is his own life and those of his family and friends.

A dramatic seaborne rescue operation, a series of brutal murders and other filmic action scenes follow. In the course of his adventures, Matt discovers that the potential upside of creating machine intelligence includes immortality, and godlike powers of understanding and being - but the potential downside is immediate extinction, or worse. As he is drawn deeper into his adventure, he becomes both the symbol and the victim of a global struggle over the approach to be taken towards this powerful new technology. A landmark decision at a meeting of the UN General Assembly forces Matt to make a fateful decision which sparks the story's final twist.

Selected reviews for Pandora's Brain:

“I love the concepts in this book!”
Peter James, author of the best-selling Roy Grace series

“Awesome!  Count me as a fan.”
Brad Feld, co-founder of the Foundry Group and Techstars

“Pandora’s Brain is a captivating tale of developments in artificial intelligence that could, conceivably, be just around the corner. The imminent possibility of these breakthroughs cause characters in the book to re-evaluate many of their cherished beliefs, and will lead most readers to several “OMG” realisations about their own philosophies of life. Apple carts that are upended in the processes are unlikely ever to be righted again. Once the ideas have escaped from the pages of this Pandora’s box of a book, there’s no going back to a state of innocence.

Mainly set in the present day, the plot unfolds in an environment that seems reassuringly familiar, but which is overshadowed by a combination of both menace and promise. Carefully crafted, and absorbing from its very start, the book held my rapt attention throughout a series of surprise twists, as various personalities react in different ways to a growing awareness of that menace and promise.”
David Wood, Chairman of the London Futurist Group

“Pandora’s Brain is a tour de force that neatly explains the key concepts behind the likely future of artificial intelligence in the context of a thriller novel. Ambitious and well executed, it will appeal to a broad range of readers.

In the same way that Suarez’s Daemon and Naam’s Nexus leaped onto the scene, redefining what it meant to write about technology, Pandora’s Brain will do the same for artificial intelligence.

Mind uploading? Check. Human equivalent AI? Check. Hard takeoff singularity? Check. Strap in, this is one heck of a ride.

Genres: Science Fiction, Artificial Intelligence, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Robots

412 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2014

About the author

Calum studied philosophy at Oxford University, where he discovered that the science fiction he had been reading since early boyhood is actually philosophy in fancy dress.

He published "Surviving AI", a non-fiction review of the promise and peril of artificial intelligence in September 2015. Previously, he published "Pandora's Brain", a novel about the first conscious machine.

He is a regular speaker on artificial intelligence and related technologies, and runs a blog on the subject at www.pandoras-brain.com.

He is also the co-author of The Internet Startup Bible, a business best-seller published by Random House in 2000.

Prior to writing Pandora's Brain, Calum had a 30-year career in business, in which he was a marketer, a strategy consultant and a CEO.

He lives in the UK and Spain with his partner, a director of a design school, and their son.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this free for an honest review & I'm sorry to say it's not a good one. It's a 9 hour audio book & I made it a bit over 4 hours before I couldn't take it any more. There was very little about AI, just a poorly written thriller. The characters are flat, the situations simplistic, & the plot trite when it wasn't ridiculous. The main character never showed any signs of being particularly bright nor insightful & the idea that he was worth the significant risks taken was ludicrous.

Perhaps I went into this with my hopes too high. The author has also written Surviving AI: The promise and peril of artificial intelligence, a nonfiction book plus several others about the Internet. While his background is in business & marketing, I had thought he would have been better versed in the actual science of AI. I'm no expert in the field, but I have a Sunday Supplement level of understanding due to a love of SF & my career working with computers.

The field is rife with complexity, yet all he could come up with was brain mapping via 'really thin scrapings'? What about
http://www.humanconnectomeproject.org ?
There's no mention of mind melding or direct communication
http://io9.com/5987567/brain-to-brain...

The main character is supposed to be interested in philosophy & AI, but there is no depth to the brief discussion on what consciousness is or the ethics of creating it. I got more out of this article:
http://www.kurzweilai.net/can-we-deve...

The story puts forth some vaguely paranoid philosophies about the motivations of a completely artificial intelligence, but pattern survival versus the traditional gene survival isn't mentioned at all.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/pattern-sur...

I don't recall him mentioning patterns at all which is odd since he mentions Kurzweil several times. Chace mentions the singularity, but if he did more than skim the Wikipedia article about it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sin...
there is no sign.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/dont-fear-a...

One of Kurzweil's ideas is that extending the neocortex is desirable by extending pattern recognition. That's a whole can of worms that would really be interesting to explore from a philosophical point in AI since it's not a simple linear process in our own brains. It's a layered process that also reacts with other parts of the brain & isn't always accurate since it relies on bidirectional hierarchies. There was a brief mention of two identical machines being used to check each other, but nothing was said about the statistical nature of our chip building. I regularly build 'identical' machines & have different results.

Anyway, there were a lot of places this story could have gone, but it didn't & I was highly disappointed. It was thoroughly banal & facile. The narrator, Joe Hempel, was serviceable, but his rather flat narration didn't do anything to improve the story. I'm not sure John Lee could have, though.

[derf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I received the audiobook for Pandora’s Brain for free from audiobookblast dot com in exchange for an honest review.

I was recently listening to a Market Foolery podcast and they were talking about having an “easy act to follow” with regard to an incoming CEO at a large company. As I began to read Pandora’s Brain, I had just finished reading the Three Body Problem, a wonderful, epic work that I enjoyed more than almost any book I have ever read. And while Pandora’s Brain doesn’t rise to the level of Three Body, it is an excellent, thought-provoking work that I highly recommend. I first heard the author of Pandora’s Brain, Calum Chace while listening to the Singularity Podcast (episode 164 if you are interested) and become very interested in Chace’s thoughts about the future of AI. This book, while fiction and with the prerequisite action scenes, is really about big ideas. It is well written and you will learn a lot while reading (or listening to) this book. There are a lot of “info dumps” spaced out at different points in the book where the main characters talk about AI and what it means to be human. Most of the characters in the book are not well developed and serve mainly a supporting role to push the story forward. The main character Matt, though, is a most compelling and likable character that you really can relate to as he goes through multiple ups and downs and twists in the story. In summary, if you’re looking for a non-stop action/thriller story involving a rogue AI, there are better choices out there such as AI Apocalypse from William Hertling or Daemon from Daniel Suarez. However, if you would like to listen to a very thought provoking and still entertaining book, this is very solid choice. The implications of the story will linger in your mind long after the final page is finished.

Regarding the audiobook format, this was the first time I had listened to Joe Hempel. It likely will not be last. I really enjoyed his narration of the book and thought he did a solid job with the different voices.

Up next for me are two related books, 1) The Six by Mark Alpert, a YA novel featuring a rogue AI named Sigma, brain scanning, and 6 teenagers whose minds are downloaded into robots, and 2) Surviving AI, a non-fiction companion to Pandora’s Brain also written by Calum Chace, available to borrow for free for Amazon Prime members.

[Ljp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the audible version, but will review the book here as well:

s a huge science fiction fan, I was curious as to how this topic - AI, and the possible dangers of consciousness of artificial intelligence - could be done in a new way- since it is a topic that has featured in many science fiction stories. I was pleasantly surprised. This is an extremely thoughtful book - with an interesting blend of philosophy and science, and it made me think, wonder, worry. It seemed well balanced between scientific explanation and plot, and never read like a text book. Though the science wasn't "watered down" or overly simplified, it was accessible to the lay reader - to the non-expert. It was also thoughtful in terms of questions like what is consciousness, what are we facing in our quest for artificial intelligence, why are we seeking it, who would be seeking it, what is our moral obligation, what are the real dangers given human nature, etc. And that kind of thoughtful exploration, to me, is what makes science fiction fun and interesting. I think particularly if this is a topic that is new to you, this will be a really informative and thoughtful book.

In addition to that, it is fairly well-written, in my opinion, and well-paced. The story and plot itself are strong, and I felt engaged by the characters and their dilemmas - in fact some of their plight was a little scary at times, and I felt involved in the goings on. For those who are not into philosophy or "hard" science fiction, this book is pretty strong in terms of plot as well - it is a bit of a thriller, with villains and good guys, and plenty of action, etc.

But I do have a few small criticisms. It is, at times, I think, perhaps a bit more descriptive than it needed to be, but not so much that it ruined the overall experience. Also, I think I would have liked it had the main hero been a little less perfect from the outset - had a bit more of a complex or flawed character, to make him a bit more accessible and relatable. But still, he does work as the hero, so it's not a major problem. The ending was a little open - as though a sequel is not out of the question. Personally, I am not a big fan of that - but it is so common these days, I can't really single this out, and to be fair, I would probably be interested in a follow up story.

The narrator does a good job too and it felt performed and audibly engaging, not simply read - in fact, the narrator gave me the book for free for my unbiased review and assessment through audiobookblastdotcom, and I am glad he did - I really did enjoy it. Overall, it's a pretty engaging and thoughtful book, and kept me entertained, and had some interesting insight as well from a scientific and philosophical point of view.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is our world a real, created world or it is merely a simulation? Are we being watched by a God who created us or by an entity who simulated us? Are we real? Or, are we really nothing at all?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book and it didn't make a great impression when I first began reading it. I don't know how much it had to do with the book or that I had just finished a book I hated to see end. Sometimes the "book after" a really great read doesn't fair so well even if it happens to be a great read on its own. It did become more interesting as the story progressed. A little lacking in character development; they didn't have the depth required to make you care about them. They were okay but there was nothing about the characters that made them uniquely different from each other.

There was a lot of repetition in this book (different characters repeating the same problem, theories and incidents verbatim). The characters had the same problem. They each had one problem, one feeling, one personality trait or one attribute which was retold throughout the book. Because of this I found them to be dull and lifeless. Of course, may be that was the point---if we are a simulation wouldn't we be rather lacking in "depth"??? Something to consider.......

The audio narration was really good!!! I enjoyed listening to the narrator and would definitely purchase another book narrated by Joel Hempel.

This would be good book for a light read, or listen.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of the first half of the book could have used any background as a premise for the story, and used AI. The second half, specifically about AI, was too neat, simple and straightforward, although interesting and different. The speed at which Matt and his family adapted and enthused about his new state was to me unrealistic. The characters all seemed much the same with little depth. Nice scenic desciptions at times, but generally the prose was flat and the dialogue was very mechanical and cliched.

[Frederik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am fascinated by the subject, near-term general artificial intelligence. And perhaps this novel is a good introduction for some people. I also liked the part where Matt becomes a conscious upload and starts learning super fast. But i almost quit the book after 1/3, because of its implausible thriller storyline and shallow characters.

[Dave Snowdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an account of some of the possible dangers & pitfalls around the search for artificial general intelligence (AGI) dressed up as a novel. It raises interesting issues but is a so-so novel.
I listened to the audio book and was put off a little by the voice actor’s rendering of female voices which made them sound like simpering idiots.

[Bill White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about a young man who dies and is scanned into a computer to keep his brain/mind alive. What are the repercussions for his family? For the world? Find out one scenario. Read this book.

[Marcus VAN DER ERVE · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technological premise of story: simplistic, mechanistic, biased, naive, old-hat. This is certainly not the future but a naive projection of current-day thinking based on over-hyped ideas from elsewhere. For some readers, of course, such a story might be good enough.

[Jozsef · Rating 4 out of 5]

You got so much in this book it could be two. Wet dream for all futurology lovers: AI, trans-humanism, simulation.

[Todd Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and narration. There was an editing error in chapter 24 and Ivan's accent was a little off, but those complaints are insignificant. This was truly an awesome story. I'd love to see this author/narrator combo do more on A.I.

[Richard Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good ideas on the development of AI and its issues in the public acceptance...

[Jose Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente plot. The ending was unexpected and a bit disappointing

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book , great points brought up on AI, found it very interesting and thought provoking.

[Hellena Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this a 5 for the last third of the book but a 3 for the first two thirds.

Conceptually it was very interesting.

However the style was a bit textbook in that events only happened at the start so that the last half of the book could be written.

Almost like it was written in reverse.

The author is obviously very smart but at times I felt him coming through a little too much in the characters and the words they would use.

Overall it was pretty thought provoking and played out what would happen in one less frightening AI scenario.

[Alex Mu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story in this book grabbed my attention from the beginning. I received the audiobook version at no cost through the goodreads promo for my honest review and am glad to have listened to it. The story moved at a decent speed and presented quite a bit of information in digestible packets. Overall, you’ll get some fast paced action, nice descriptions, and an appreciable amount of wittiness thrown in. A good combination. Joe Rempel, the narrator gets the tone of the characters across well, making for an enjoyable listening experience.

The detailed information presented didn’t feel like a barrage of theories and concepts that would get in the way of the story. I knew a good amount of the scientific and technological information presented in this book, but there was also a significant amount of information that was new to me, such that I paused the book to note something I wanted to research more. Not all of it was science or technology based either. I had no idea Brazil always goes first in the general debate and when it was mentioned, almost in passing during the story, it made me curious to look up the info. A book that makes a reader actively want to look-up more information always gets kudo’s from me. There were some nice analogies inside this book to drive home the fear that may come about if (when?) an AI becomes reality. The ending took an interesting turn. Sort of a mind meld in that the world Matt lives in fears him because he is not ‘human’ he is a simulation. Then at the end, it turns out the whole world isn’t what we think it is to begin with. Though there was a nice tie in at the end with something mentioned at the beginning of the book that I remember thinking ‘that seems foreshadow-y’ and turns out it was.

There is a fair bit of both narration and dialog written in the book. Joe Rempel had both distinct character voices which made the dialogue easy to follow, and a narration voice that was easy to listen to without getting in the way of the story. My only note would be that Ivan’s accent seemed to flicker to a different lilt at times. I got the sense Mr. Rempel enjoyed the story he was reading so he really got into the story (making it better for the listener), and had a good sense of what tone and emotion to put in the voices of the characters.

This is an enjoyable story that should appeal to anyone who has an interest in sci-fi, specifically in the realm of realistic / futuristic sci-fi.

[Rich Maneri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good concepts but too much 'story'. In the end, we're living in a simulation and they have to re-spawn Matt into a historical person so that they don't have to end our simulation.

[Sarah Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free audible edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What would happen if Artificial Intelligence became sentient and self aware?

What would its motivations be? Would it crush us under its digital shoe?

What if it were A LOT closer to becoming a reality than we think it is?

These are the questions author Calum Chance asks in the book Pandora's Brain.

It's a story about a man named Matt who gets sucked into a conspiracy that is way over his head, a race to make sentient A.I.

Even those in the know who fear its approach are resigned to running a race against time because they know that its only a matter of time and if they don't do it , giving it their own safeguards to protect humanity, someone else will and they might not think of the consequences.

The information in this book and the philosophical questions it asks are very interesting.

If you like to think about the what ifs , the bigger picture, where technology is going, this book is for you.

As far as plot goes though, it felt more like plot was kind of an afterthought, wrapped around what the author really wanted to get to- the part where he makes you think about the what if's and the what now's.

[Gregg Kellogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the bit quite a bit, but have to mark it down for the relatively inexpert writing style. But, the reason to read this book is because of the ideas. I'm concurrently reading Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, and the parallels between the two are quite strong. Chace is guilty of doing a bit of necessary exposition to introduce the ideas, but we soon leave that to get into the thriller and science-fiction portions of the book. The idea of a whole brain emulation as being a preferred means of achieving an AGI is compelling, but the current high rate of progress in narrow AI may leave this idea behind, which faces numerous technical hurdles. Still, the world hasn't seen an general AI, one which sets its own goals, and it's not clear what the path towards this might be, other than a whole-brain-emulation.

In this end, this is really what makes good Science Fiction: a reasonable exposition of a compelling technology and examination of what the consequences of that might be. I hope he gets on to "Pandora's Oracle", I'd like to read more.

[Randy MacLeod · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting novel, that is a combination of hard science fiction and mystery, about the emergence of artificial intelligence in the present time albeit one written for a younger audience.

I enjoyed reading Pandora's Brain even though I was familiar with most of the subject matter around artificial intelligence. Someone who knew less about AI would get a very good introduction to the subject out of this book. The writing was fast-paced but not as polished or as engaging as I'd like. This is the author's first work of fiction so that's understandable and he certainly does far better than I could do. That said, there was never a point where I considered discarding the novel since I was caught up in the plot. The writing reminded me of Robert Sawyer's (early?) books and Sawyer sells loads of novels. Ending a novel about the emergence of AI is a challenge and Chase came up with an interesting twist.

Overall this was a very good story, with reasonable character development and a clear focus on hard science sci-fi throughout most of the novel. I enjoyed reading it and I'll consider reading other works by Calum Chase.

[Toby Downton · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is very interested in the field of AI and futurology I had high hopes for this book, and I'm glad to say that I wasn't diappointed. Pandora's Brain follows the story of Matt, a likeable young guy in the UK who's father recently died. Matt follows in his father's footsteps (researching neurobiology and taking a general interest in all things futurology related) and thus begins his exciting journey into the world of AI.

The book is paced well and manages to fit in the exposition of the AI concepts in an interesting way without ramming them down your throat. It's clear that the author knows his stuff about the technology, but also a thing or two about writing fiction! It contained multiple plots twists that I didn't see coming, which made it all the more enjoyable.

Will certainly take a look at Surviving AI, Chace's non-fictional book that follows this one.

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling tale of the near-future, AI's and all.

This book follows Matt, a brilliant and incredibly likable student near London who has just found out that his father was killed in a car accident. He has also found out that his father was involved in some incredible steps towards making Artificial Intelligence a reality through his work in neuro-biology and brain scanning. Upon finding this out, Matt decides to study the same things. Little does he know just what is waiting for him once he begins this journey. Follow Matt and his friends and family on a ride that you won’t believe is unfolding in front of you.

Read my full review on my blog: Brian's Book Blog

I received a free copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an audible copy of Pandora's Brain in return for an honest review.

This story starts off very slowly. But don't worry, it does pick up pace. There are lots of philosophical and technological discussions on AI between characters in the book. I particularly liked this aspect because it reminded me of many discussions I have had with my husband.

The book takes place in London, however the audible narrator does not have an accent. This is just fine with me. Being from America I didn't bother me the least. I really liked the job Joe Hempel portrays the main character Matt. He is believable and relatable (even though he is way smarter than me).

Pandora's Brain has a great story and an ending that you just have to read! I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to friends.

[Teressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible audiobook version

"Pandora's Brain was aSmart and Interesting Concept"

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It took off and I found it to be interesting with a good plot. The idea of uploading one's consciousness to a computer was intriguing. The story moved along at a good pace and I love how it ended with Matt going back in time. This would be a good lead in for a book 2. Likable characters and AI adventures make this a worthwhile listen.

Overall, I'd recommend this book written by Calum Chace. If this is a first book then it's a good one. Hopefully there's more to come.

Joe Hempel did a terrific job narrating the story. He sounded good with the perfect voice for Matt. His timing was spot on and he made this a great audiobook.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

This is a decent story, and it could have been really fantastic...but it has a lot of irrelevant parts, and long drawn out unnecessary explanations of things that were frivolous to this story...AI is a thing to expect in the near future and Matt and his father are working on it...there is a race to complete the first viable AI, and many questions as to the safety of this for the world....ultimately this does not end up well for anyone...and there is a little twist to this story...if you have a severely technical mind..you might really like this...I have only a semi technical mind and it was just ok for me...the last few hours were pretty good..and the narration was really good!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, what a story, poor Matt and his parents. The story started off oddly (IMO) but man, what a ride. I loved the twists and turns and how well Matt handled everything that happened to him before and after the accident. This story has a little of everything, kidnapping, life decisions, government cover-up and AI to the hills.

If you like AI/Tech stories this was a good one and I am glad I decided to read this book.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has lots of big ideas. It's a gentle introduction to The Singularity and Transhumanism and then it ramps up quickly. If you were dying and had the opportunity to upload your consciousness to a computer would you?

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
The ideas behind the book are interesting, but the execution fell short of the mark.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five for the ideas, 1 for the novel, so 3, I guess. Best to read the non-audio version so you can skip the "novel" stuff.

[Serage · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor story telling. Painfully poor!