THE CYBERNETIC SOCIETY

Why the major risk and opportunity of AI is that humans and computers have fused, giving AI the ability to shape the future of human affairs

Artificial intelligence is inescapable: at home, at work, in politics, and on the battlefield. In The Cybernetic Society, technologist Amir Husain argues that AI hasn't simply encroached on everything we do. It has become part of us, and we, it. Humans and intelligent machines, he argues, are enmeshed in a symbiotic hybrid that he calls a "cybernetic society." Husain describes a present and future where AI isn't a tool of humans but our equal partner, one where they can realize their own visions of the world. There is great potential and danger: Saudi Arabia's Neoma "cognitive city" being built in inhospitable desertshows how this symbiosis can make life possible where otherwise, it is not. But the profusion of intelligent military drones is making mass destruction possible where otherwise, it is not. As engrossing as it is urgent, The Cybernetic Society offers a new understanding of this revolutionary fusion of machine and mankind, and its profound implications for all our futures. The path ahead is challenging. But Husain shows why we can live harmoniously with our creations. Amir Husain is an entrepreneur, veteran AI technologist, and author of four books. Founder of SparkCognition, SGS, and SkyGrid, Husain also holds board positions at SpecFive, Navigate, UT Austin's computer science board, NATO's innovation advisory board, and the board of Global Venture Bridge. Husain also serves as chairman of WorldQuant Predictive, a technological venture laboratory. He is based in Austin, Texas.