Technology

Every author in this book can only contribute his/her specific knowledge and perspective on the topic. The sum of these imperfections however deliver insights that surpass by far the monolithic books of the self-proclaimed or even acclaimed artificial intelligence pundits. It is indeed paradoxical that incompleteness delivers the more complete stories and a good indication that superintelligences could after all fail to produce the ultimate insight because their view on a subject is too deep to capture the reflections. Thus a book more than worthwhile to peruse and make its perspective even more rich by contributing your own vision.

A book on what artificial intelligence can bring to humanity: the optimistic view, contrary to Superintelligence from Nick Bostrom with its pure focus on risc. The ideas are non trivial and its lecture allowed me often to think of "I never thought of this aspect". The book however seems to emanate the euphoria of Silicon Valley where things can only turn into a nicer future "in the best of these worlds". Theories in the book are never put to the test and are more about belief than about substantiation. But what else could we except from an utopia that maybe will fail to materialize as after each corner on the way to it there might appear a black swan.

Story about an exceptional assembly of exceptional men (and women) that shaped history by an incredible set of innovation. The idols of my youth united in a story of which I never knew that it was so thightly interwoven. Interesting to see that Hitler sew the seeds of its own destruction by expelling these brilliant men from Europe and giving them a common ground for their cooperation.

The story only gets 4 stars due to its sometimes too romantisized perception and the absence of moral reflection of the terrible effects of some of the inventions.