Artificial Intelligence: What Everyone Needs to KnowR

What Everyone Needs to Know

by Jerry Kaplan

Over the coming decades, Artificial Intelligence will profoundly impact the way we live, work, wage war, play, seek a mate, educate our young, and care for our elderly. It is likely to greatly increase our aggregate wealth, but it will also upend our labor markets, reshuffle our social order, and strain our private and public institutions. Eventually it may alter how we see our place in the universe, as machines pursue goals independent of their creators and outperform us in domains previously believed to be the sole dominion of humans. Whether we regard them as conscious or unwitting, revere them as a new form of life or dismiss them as mere clever appliances, is beside the point. They are likely to play an increasingly critical and intimate role in many aspects of our lives.The emergence of systems capable of independent reasoning and action raises serious questions about just whose interests they are permitted to serve, and what limits our society should place on their creation and use. Deep ethical questions that have bedeviled philosophers for ages will suddenly arrive on the steps of our courthouses. Can a machine be held accountable for its actions? Should intelligent systems enjoy independent rights and responsibilities, or are they simple property? Who should be held responsible when a self-driving car kills a pedestrian? Can your personal robot hold your place in line, or be compelled to testify against you? If it turns out to be possible to upload your mind into a machine, is that still you? The answers may surprise you.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Audiobook, Business, Computer Science

181 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Kaplan is widely known as a serial entrepreneur, technical innovator, bestselling author, and futurist. He co-founded four Silicon Valley startups, two of which became publicly traded companies. His best-selling non-fiction novel "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure" was selected by Business Week as one of the top ten business books of the year, was optioned to Sony Pictures, and is available in Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese. Kaplan has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, Red Herring, and Upside, and is a frequent public speaker.

Kaplan is currently a Fellow at The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics. He also teaches Philosophy, Ethics, and Impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Computer Science Department, Stanford University. He holds a BA (1972) from the University of Chicago in History and Philosophy of Science, and an MSE (1975) and PhD (1979) in Computer and Information Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Linguistics, from the University of Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good overview of AI. The first half or so of the book was a very useful 'for beginners, generally intelligent, but not computer scientists' introduction to the components of AI, how it works, what it does and doesn't do, why it is happening now, etc. The last 25-50% of the book was Kaplan's personal extrapolation about ethics and society with respect to AI, and a lot less valuable. In retrospect if I'd stopped reading right when that tangent started I probably would consider this a 5/5 basic introduction.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

You don't need to read both this book and "Humans Need Not Apply." They both cover the same topics. This book is essentially the cliffnotes version of "Humans Need Not Apply," so read one or the other according to how in dept you want to get.

[Lúcia Parreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

O livro aborda de uma forma acessível o que é a inteligência artificial, como funciona, de onde veio e como aproveitar o seu potencial. Recomendo a sua leitura para conhecer melhor o tema.

[Jon Inge Ringstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informativ og ikke altfor lang og tung. Kombinert med Maskiner som tenker synes jeg at jeg begynner å få en bedre forståelse av hva KI er.

[Theut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davvero un'ottima overview dell'AI, in cui vengono dettagliati i falsi miti, lo stato dell'arte e i possibili sviluppi. Imperdibile lettura introduttiva per avere un quadro generale di ML, NPL, Computer vision etc

[Paolo Coppola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alterna parti ottime, con alcuni, pochi, pezzi un po' troppo superficiali. Alcuni passaggi, soprattutto nella parte finale, sono delle piacevoli sorprese. Sicuramente da leggere.

[Laurence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and succinct, exactly how an introduction should be. I've already read a few books on this topic but a couple of extra parts I'd not seen before (or remembered).

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of AI.

The first half of the book was a very useful introduction for non-computer scientists about how AI, works, what it does (and doesn't do), this history of AI and major players, etc.

The back half of the book was Kaplan's take on where AI is going as a futurist.

If you are interested in the topic and don't have time to read the whole thing, definitely read the first part.

[Ross Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

easily excessible without being dumbed down.

It's a quick read. Recommend for everyone.

[Rafael Julivert · Rating 4 out of 5]

El llibre *Intel·ligència artificial: Lo que todo el mundo debe saber* de Jerry Kaplan, publicat el 2016, és sorprenentment vigent malgrat el ràpid avanç tecnològic que ha tingut lloc des de la seva publicació. Kaplan ofereix una visió molt rellevant sobre els desafiaments socials i ètics que presenta la IA, amb especial atenció a com aquesta tecnologia pot afectar la igualtat social i el treball humà. El seu anàlisi sobre l'impacte de la IA en el mercat laboral és profund i inquietant, ja que anticipa les discussions actuals sobre l'automatització i la pèrdua de llocs de treball.

Un dels punts forts del llibre és el seu enfocament sobre les implicacions legals i ètiques de la IA. Kaplan explora com les lleis hauran d'adaptar-se a les noves tecnologies i els reptes que això comporta. A més, ofereix una introducció històrica ben estructurada sobre l'evolució de la IA, des de la seva definició fins a les fronteres filosòfiques i els límits de la seva aplicació, cosa que fa que el llibre sigui accessible tant per a experts com per a lectors sense formació prèvia.

Tot i que va ser escrit abans de l'eclosió de la IA generativa, el text no sembla gens antiquat. De fet, és possible que molts lectors desitgin que Kaplan hagués tingut l'oportunitat d'escriure'l més recentment per reflexionar sobre els canvis recents. El seu escepticisme sobre la possibilitat d'una intel·ligència artificial general a curt termini pot semblar antiquat en el context de 2024, quan figures com Sam Altman afirmen que estem a només milers de dies d'aconseguir una superintel·ligència.

En resum, aquest llibre es gaudeix tant per la seva capacitat de plantejar preguntes profundes sobre el futur de la IA com per la seva accessibilitat i rigor acadèmic.

[Antonio Gallo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il futuro esisterà soltanto se è esistito un passato che una volta era presente. Questo libro è uno dei tanti che cerca di mettere a confronto l'idea di intelligenza degli esseri umani con quella che si pensa possano avere le macchine. Se "istruire" significa mettere dentro e "educare" "mettere fuori", possiamo facilmente pensare che tutte le "macchine intelligenti" di cui, giorno dopo giorno, gli esseri umani si stanno dotando, siano fornite di abbastanza "intelligenza" da essere considerate tali. Dal telecomando al cellulare, dal pc al gps siamo circondati da una vera e propria rete di "intelligenze". Pure non sapendo come funzionano, le usiamo, ad esse ci affidiamo, di esse ci fidiamo. Non ci rendiamo conto che non ne possiamo più ormai farne a meno eppure osiamo metterle in discussione. C'è chi non si fida e ne diffida, c'è chi ad esse si affida pensando che forse soltanto una intelligenza artificiale potrà salvarci dalla nostra umana storica stupidità. Il pensiero artificiale dei robot potrà funzionare meglio di quello umano? L'autore di questo libro sembra crederci e non sarò di certo io a smentirlo. Devo confessare però che le sue argomentazioni non mi hanno molto convinto. Mi rendo conto che i giochi saranno molto lunghi, che ogni giorno il presente sembra il futuro e non sai più fare le dovute distinzioni tra passato, presente e futuro. Per un dinosauro come me, mi basta pensare con il poeta che arriveremo ad un punto in cui gli uomini si renderanno conto che di essere arrivati da qualche parte, per scoprire soltanto che quello sarà il punto da dove erano partiti.

[Oskar Lis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ostatnie eksperymenty z prowadzeniem futurologicznych pokoi na Clubhouse spowodowało, że skończyłem w króliczej norze pełnej książek o techno-przyszłości. Tak więc eksploruję temat sztucznej inteligencji i tym tropem wpadłem na absolutnie genialną książkę Jerry’ego Kaplana. W swej zwięzłości jest ona krótkim acz kompletnym podręcznikiem w tym temacie, przedstawiając oczywiście podłoże historyczne, oraz niezbędną kategoryzację. Jednocześnie w jej drugiej części znajdziemy odpowiedzi na kilka fundamentalnych, nieco bardziej złożonych pytań. Zostanie ze mną np. genialne spostrzeżenie, że sami, semantycznie, narzuciliśmy sobie debatę na temat potencjalnego zagrożenia ze strony AI, wybierając takie dla niej nazewnictwo. „Sztuczna Inteligencja” z definicji będzie bowiem porównywana z inteligencją w rozumieniu ludzkim, naturalnym. Gdybyśmy u zarania lotnictwa, samoloty nazwali sztucznymi ptakami, zapewne też ciągle zadawalibyśmy pytanie, czemu nie ruszają skrzydłami.
Albo często przewijające się w literaturze pytanie, czy komputer może mieć wolną wolę? A co jeśli ludzie też jej nie mają, a ich działania są tak naprawdę determinowane zewnętrznie, reszta zaś to tylko racjonalizacja? Książka Kaplana kipi od tego typu spostrzeżeń i jest absolutną intelektualną ucztą. Udowadnia, że można podać zwięzłe, błyskotliwe i zarazem wyczerpujące opracowanie tematu na 200 stronach, zawstydzając niejedno opasłe tomiszcze. Polecam, polecam, polecam, oczywiście przede wszystkim dla zainteresowanych tematyką AI.

[Gregory Eakins · Rating 3 out of 5]

True to the title, Kaplan provides a brief introduction to AI, including some history, a few of the key technologies, and thoughts on the impact to our future.

The author does a good job of introducing AI without the pervasive overselling that we usually get (the robots taking over the world and harvesting our bodies for energy). He breaks down the broad field into some of the key components like computer vision and language processing. He points out what AI can do, but more importantly, what it cannot do.

Some brief discussions of the impacts of AI on human labor (depending on what you do, robots will likely take your jobs), social equity, and other future impacts are presented. These are just introductions to much larger conversations and Kaplan does not go into any depth here.

This is a fair introduction to artificial intelligence for those starting from zero, but most people even lightly familiar with the field won't get much out of it.

[Terry Tse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Stanford professor and AI expert Jerry Kaplan offers a succinct and balanced introduction to this important field. He covers a wide range of topics from the history of AI, its philosophical debates and its wide-ranging impact on society, law, ethics and the economy. Professor Kaplan patiently explains that despite all the fanfare, the machine learning approach to AI has been around for decades, only advancing recently due to significant improvements in hardware and the wide availability of data. He is skeptical of the singularity claims, and warns us that instead of some apocalyptic Terminator-Skynet scenario, we ought to pay more attention to issues such as automation and declining wages, legal liability of self driving cars and developing emotional attachments to caregiving AI systems.

[Gianluca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not aimed at more technical readers, but instead offers a suitable background in AI principles and history, before speculating how AI is likely to influence society in coming decades.

If you have little to no background in AI/ML and are looking for a short read that will help you make career or policy decisions, then this would be a pretty good start. For readers interested in the more technical slant, Pedro Domingo’s The Master Algorithm is a better place to turn.

I was surprised by the author’s positions against transhumanism and concerned by his dismissal of AI Alignment challenges. He comes across like the opposing voice to Nick Bostrom and, though I’m not convinced by many of his arguments, it has certainly provided a good counter-point to recalibrate my weightings on many of these topics. More reading here is needed on my part.

[Norbert S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book, given the author's previously insightful contributions to the fields of technical development and social impact. However, his new work on artificial intelligence proves largely disappointing. Kaplan merely scratches the surface of numerous critical issues that demand deeper analysis. Moreover, his treatment is often unfocused, losing sight of the most significant impacts. The most glaring shortcomings appear in the chapters addressing AI's future effects on labor, societal structures, wealth distribution, and the prospect of a technological singularity. Regrettably, the book offers limited novel insights. After reading it, I shelved it in the least important section of my library.

[Vovka · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Q&A format of this book, plus the considerable effort spent on the ethical implications (any book that cites Peter Singer wins points on my ledger) make this one stand out from a crowded field on the topic of AI. An excellent primer that I'd recommend to any business reader / layperson trying to make sense of the current Cambrian Explosion in AI.

The primary drawback of the book at this point is its age. It was published in 2016/2017, so it's showing some of its age already. The author has a new book out, published Feb 2024. I plan to read that one next, and expect it to be high quality.

[Tanay Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read - introduces AI concepts with extensive footnotes that can be used as a deeper dive into specific focus areas (e.g. how AI will impact law or Human Labor). After having taken an intro to AI course in Undergrad, I found that the book also entertains an audience with some technical background - particularly so, by equating the algorithm to a rational agent or discussing neural networks.

Highly recommend for anyone looking to learn the fundamentals of a buzzword that will likely have major ramifications across all industries within the next 15 years.

[Abeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

قرأت الكتاب بالنسخة العربية ما أعرف ليه مو موجوده هنا بس على العموم، أخذت وقت طويل نوعاً ما عشان انهيه، مو لأنه سيء أو ممل، ولكنه من نوع الكتب اللي ما أقدر أقرا كثير أو بسرعة يجب علي التركيز، لأكون صريحة نسيت بعض محتواه مو حاضر في ذهني الآن، لكني أعتقد أنه كتاب جيد، وأنصح فيه، يمكن مو كل شيء فيه صحيح، لكني استفدت منه، شفته بالصدفة في جرير وكان قرار شراءه قرار ممتاز، أكثر شيء لفتني وجلعني أشتريه هو حديثه عن الوظائف مو الروبوتات أو سيطرتها على العالم زي ما نشوف في الأفلام مثلاً أو الإعلام المرئي بشكل عام..

[Fatih · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy mostly non-technical read for those who wonder what AI might bring to our lives. Author efficiently explains the history of the field and then provides a framework for the possible future impacts of AI applications. With extreme hypothetical examples, the readers are introduced to what might be lying ahead in the near or distant future with implications in economics, employment, law and more..

[Sudhir Bharadhwaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Kaplan brings in many different perspectives on AI. I had read this earlier book "Humans Need Not Apply" and came out very impressed his point of view. Anyone who wishes to understand AI broadly including imperatives for Humanity and Society at large will gain immensely by reading this book. There are serious questions on AI and Jerry handles it superbly without resorting to populist approach.

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Went into the library on a whim today an grabbed the only book they had on AI. Pretty good considering! It succeeded in doing exactly what I hoped for: gave me a framework to think about AI through, got specific about various applications of it (watch out, lawyers!), provided strong caution when prognosticating the way in which AI will affect labor markets and extend wealth disparity, but then stopped short of giving credence to conspiracy theories that see this as the beginning of the end.

[Stefano Pensabene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the book is a good introduction to the world of Artificial Intelligence. In a clear language, it explains to the neophyte what AI is by giving a lot of examples in all the fields where it is used. The second half of the book is less convincing. It raises a number of issues, also ethical issues such as if a machine commits a crime can be held accountable for it, which seem to me too far fetched for the time being.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more insights from a book that focuses on state of AI in 2017, since I already knew most of the topics in the book I should assume that I know more than average person in these matters.

AI/singularity books take either the positive or negative approach (like end of humankind), this book would be situated more on the positive side.

[Robin Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer for the uninitiated.

This is not a technical book - it's more of a layman's overview. It serves that purpose well. Author discusses the issues, philosophical as well as social aspects well - however it could have been better to spend a chapter to describe what AI in terms of technology (without necessarily getting into code).

[Saleem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A calm view of artificial intelligence development that suggests we stop hyperventilating about what AI can and will do, whether good or bad. Written in an accessible way for general readership.

As I already read book Life 3.0 and couple of others so lot in detail was discussed in those books about AI and future life. That’s why I am giving 4 stars to this book.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise introduction to the history, general methodology, and philosophical questions of artificial intelligence. Though AI and technology develop at lightning pace, this book provides a broad overview of their applications and impacts. It can help demystify the black box of AI and show what problems can possibly arise or be solved in the near or (more likely) uncertain future.

[Detlef · Rating 4 out of 5]

A basic, friendly and sometimes humorous introduction to artificial intelligence. The author is very knowledgeable and has been involved with the field for decades. The part that I found most valuable was chapter 5, "Artificial Intelligence and the Law", where he raises several legal aspects that I had never thought about and this topic is rarely covered in similar books.

[Jeevan Koneti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief intro to AI. If you are curious to learn about AI because of the hype about it Int he world, this book may be the one to consider. It will give an intro about history of AI, what has been so far. It is a non technical book

[Kaspars Koo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction of AI for beginners.
I enjoyed most of the book but did not agree with all of the claims made. Then again, the author was very clear from the beginning that this is not a scientific book, but rather his opinions.