Month: May 2018

New book: Artificial Intelligence and the Two Singularities

My latest book has just been published by CRC Press, an imprint of the academic publishing house Taylor and Francis.  It updates and expands on my previous non-fiction AI books, especially the sections on the economic singularity. Having been published in the past by Random House, and having also self-published, it is exciting to complete the trio of publishing options with an academic publisher, and it is an honour to be picked up by CRC.  (This does have an impact on pricing beyond my control.) The book has attracted some gratifying reviews, including these: "The arrival of super-intelligent AI and the...

AI: it's not a race

Giant cogs are starting to turn Western governments are finally waking up to the significance of artificial intelligence. It’s a slow process, with much further to go, and most politicians have yet to grasp the significance of AI, but the gradual setting into motion of giant cogs is to be welcomed. In the November 2017 budget the UK’s Chancellor excitedly announced expenditure of £75m on AI. In March 2018, France’s President Macron put that to shame by announcing a spend of €1.5bn by 2020, primarily to halt the brain drain of French computer scientists. The following month Germany’s Chancellor Merkel...