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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut (Pushkin Press/Penguin Press)
This “work of fiction based on fact” is a stunning portrayal of Johnny von Neumann, the Hungarian-born mathematical genius who helped invent the atomic bomb and conceptualise artificial intelligence. Imaginatively told through the fictionalised personal testimony of von Neumann’s friends and family, the novel is as engrossing as it is disturbing.
The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Fei-Fei Li (Flatiron Books)
In this highly personal and readable study, Li recounts how a poor Chinese immigrant to the US emerged as one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence researchers. She also offers many smart insights into the AI revolution itself. A powerful plea for keeping humanity at the centre of our latest technological transformation.
The Coming Wave: AI, Power and the Twenty-First Century’s Greatest Dilemma by Mustafa Suleyman with Michael Bhaskar (Bodley Head/Crown)
Confused by the current furore about AI? This book is a good place to start. Although overwrought in parts, The Coming Wave is a sweeping account of the latest advances in AI and synthetic biology. The co-founder of DeepMind offers his own thoughts about how societies can better prepare for the great transformation.
Your Face Belongs to Us: The Secretive Start-up Dismantling Your Privacy by Kashmir Hill (Simon & Schuster)
A New York Times reporter investigates the secretive start-up Clearview AI, which sells its facial recognition technology to the police. Such technology can help solve crime, but it also erodes privacy and can reinforce unfair discrimination against marginalised people. In its focus on the ambiguous duality of tech, this is a parable for our times.
Power and Progress: Our Thousand Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson (Basic Books/Public Affairs)
Two MIT economists explore how historically technology has improved lives and powered extraordinary prosperity, but also resulted in societal disruption and inequity. Faced with fresh upheaval, the authors make a positive case for how societies can maximise the benefits of our powerful new technologies to the advantage of all.
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster)
Described by the FT as a “688-page quick read” for the TikTok generation, Isaacson’s biography of the South African entrepreneur races along at bone-rattling speed. That certainly makes for an entertaining exploration of Musk the celebrity. But not much of an explanation of how Musk remade the car and space industries.
Books of the Year 2023
All this week, FT writers and critics share their favourites. Some highlights are:
Monday: Business by Andrew Hill
Tuesday: Environment by Pilita Clark
Wednesday: Economics by Martin Wolf
Thursday: Fiction by Laura Battle and Andrew Dickson
Friday: Politics by Gideon Rachman
Saturday: Critics’ choice
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