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Possible Minds

Written by: John Brockman - editor
Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney, Will Damron, Jason Culp, Rob Shapiro, Vikas Adam
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Publisher's Summary

Science-world luminary John Brockman assembles 25 of the most important scientific minds, people who have been thinking about the field of artificial intelligence for most of their careers, for an unparalleled roundtable examination about mind, thinking, intelligence, and what it means to be human. 

"Artificial intelligence is today's story - the story behind all other stories. It is the Second Coming and the Apocalypse at the same time: Good AI versus evil AI." (John Brockman) 

More than 60 years ago, mathematician-philosopher Norbert Wiener published a book on the place of machines in society that ended with a warning: "We shall never receive the right answers to our questions unless we ask the right questions.... The hour is very late, and the choice of good and evil knocks at our door." In the wake of advances in unsupervised, self-improving machine learning, a small but influential community of thinkers is considering Wiener's words again. In Possible Minds, John Brockman gathers their disparate visions of where AI might be taking us. 

The fruit of the long history of Brockman's profound engagement with the most important scientific minds who have been thinking about AI - from Alison Gopnik and David Deutsch to Frank Wilczek and Stephen Wolfram - Possible Minds is an ideal introduction to the landscape of crucial issues AI presents. The collision between opposing perspectives is salutary and exhilarating; some of these figures, such as computer scientist Stuart Russell, Skype cofounder Jaan Tallinn, and physicist Max Tegmark, are deeply concerned with the threat of AI, including the existential one, while others, notably robotics entrepreneur Rodney Brooks, philosopher Daniel Dennett, and best-selling author Steven Pinker, have a very different view. Serious, searching, and authoritative, Possible Minds lays out the intellectual landscape of one of the most important topics of our time. 

Read by Jason Culp, Rob Shapiro, Vikas Adam, Will Damron, and Kathleen McInerney. 

©2019 John Brockman (P)2019 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

“Pithy essays on artificial intelligence.... Readers...will not find a better introduction than this book.” (Kirkus)

“While the [Possible Minds] authors disagree on the answers, they agree on the major question: what dangers might AI present to humankind? Within that framework, the essays offer a host of novel ideas.... Enlightening, entertaining, and exciting reading.” (Publishers Weekly)

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An AI anthology: a panoply of perspectives

A comprehensive, authoritative, thoroughly enjoyable treatment of the subject. I've read Bostrum and others so I wasn't expecting much new material on the subject. Was I ever wrong. Suited to audio (but maybe not while driving). Hear what all the leading lights have to say, pick your favorite and venture beyond on your own. Think I found myself nodding in agreement with Pinker's take more than anyone else's. Thanks to John Brockman for coalescing it all!

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