Some 100-150 years ago, even science fiction writers could not imagine what the 21st century would look like. What seems to be commonplace today was once an unattainable dream. It is all the more interesting to think about what awaits humanity. “Snob” and the largest book service in Russia and CIS countries “Litres” have collected seven books by scientists and sociologists that will slightly open the door to the future
Daniel Susskind, A future without work. Technology, automation and should we be afraid of them?
Automation is gaining such proportions that many specialists are already overboard, because their duties can be performed by robots. If earlier fears were associated with professions associated with physical labor, then the latest news about the development of neural networks made designers, artists and copywriters worry. What will be the world in which people will lose both their earnings and the meaning of life? Daniel Susskind, an English economist and former adviser to the British government, answers this question. His book is a detailed guide to the new economic reality. By the way, the work was translated by an online translator, and some parts of the text were left without editing in order to demonstrate to the reader the possibilities of self-learning algorithms.
Vaclav Smil, “How the world really works. Our past, present and future through the eyes of a scientist
The book of a Canadian scientist, political scientist and environmentalist is a guide to modern human life and an attempt to predict the future. With the help of research and a large amount of statistical data, Smil tries to answer the main question: is humanity doomed to death or is a happy new world waiting for it? Lack of crops, endless siphoning of resources, an increasing population of the Earth, pollution of the atmosphere and oceans – the author analyzes the main topics related to survival. For example, the fact that each tomato in a greenhouse requires the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel fuel, and globalization was not at all inevitable. The answers about the past, present and future are hidden in this book.
John Higgs, Strange and Strange. How relativity, rock and roll and science fiction defined the 20th century
John Higgs is a journalist, novelist, and popular cultural history writer. In this book, he invites the reader to analyze in detail the past century – one of the strangest, bloodiest and defining for humanity. According to the Higgs theory, the 20th century is the time when the concepts of relativity penetrated into all spheres of life. In other words, the disunited century ended with a general networkization and completely changed the idea of space, time and society. By understanding its past better, humanity will be able to look into the future and find out what to expect from the 21st century.
Kevin Kelly, Inevitably. 12 technology trends that are shaping our future
Writer Kevin Kelly is one of today’s most prominent futurologists and the founder of Wired magazine. In his book, he analyzes 12 trends that have already gradually begun to influence the economy, politics and public life, and will soon turn the world upside down. It turns out that the near future is predetermined, you just need to pay attention to what is happening under humanity’s nose. This will help the book “Inevitable”, which will be useful to anyone who wants to find the right direction in business, study and life. For example, Kelly believes that you can easily predict the business plan of the next 10,000 startups – just “take X and add artificial intelligence.”
Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus. A Brief History of the Future”
Professor and medievalist historian Harari is the author of one of the loudest bestsellers of recent years, Sapiens. A Brief History of Mankind. “Homo Deus” is an attempt to look into our future not only from the point of view of rapidly developing technologies, but also from the point of view of morality and human emotions. For example, how will religion perceive the development of genetic engineering? What will the millions who will be replaced by robots live on? After all, what consequences will await people when artificial intelligence begins to understand their desires before they themselves? If you believe Harari, then progress and the course of history cannot be stopped, but right now humanity is at a crossroads. And the future will depend entirely on what choice is made.
Kai-fu Lee, “Superpowers of artificial intelligence. China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order
This book is a guide to artificial intelligence. Kai-fu Lee is an AI entrepreneur who has worked in senior positions in the Chinese divisions of major US firms. He goes into detail about the different types of new superintelligence, their perspectives, and how they affect humanity. The author predicts global changes: the race between the US and China to create a powerful virtual “brain” will easily lead to social stratification and unemployment around the world. But what could turn out to be a disaster is actually an opportunity for progress and a leap forward. All that is needed for this is not to forget about responsibility and humanity.
Max Tegmark, Life 3.0. Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Life 3.0, by physicist, cosmologist, and MIT professor Max Tegmark, is not just an entertaining read. The book is rather for those who want to understand complex terms, streamline their knowledge of artificial intelligence and space. Tegmark analyzes various scenarios of humanity on and off the planet, even touching on the prospect of meeting with intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations. But the main theme throughout the book is an artificial superintelligence created by man. What is the probability that he will destroy the creator? Or, on the contrary, will there be only pluses from it? As the physicist himself writes, modern technology gives our lives the opportunity to “thrive like never before – or self-destruct.” The choice is for humanity.
With a special promo code snoban23 you can get a 20% discount on Litres Subscription. It gives you the opportunity to borrow an electronic or audio book worth up to 700 rubles from the largest catalog in Russia, including new items and bestsellers, as well as two books from a special selection.
