T-Minus AI: Humanity's Countdown to Artificial Intelligence and the New Pursuit of Global Power Hardcover – August 25, 2020

This book surprised me... in a good way. 😃 At first I was definitely in the, “Okay, sure, ANOTHER book about AI”, but then I started reading and it was just really digestible. Like, actually fun and engaging. Not a bunch of hype. Logically thought-out. Actually applies to the real world and not some make-believe place where “everything is revolutionized, buy stock now!” or “this is dumb, ignore it.”I was a little worried about how broad it started, because I thought maybe it would be 150 pages of fluff and 100 pages of content, but as I kept going, it all tied together (which is kudos to both the author and editing team). It almost reads like a textbook because of the logical connections, but it’s NOT boring... so maybe it’s just a GOOD textbook or reference?Having waded into the waters of many “general knowledge” type books about cyber security or intelligence or quantum cryptography or whatever, I can definitely recommend this one as both a solid read and a great resource. I hope schools use it to build the next generation of learners and that governments and large organizations take hold as a tool to engage in the important ethical and leadership decisions that lie ahead.(Caveat, I know the author, and got a digital advanced reader copy, but also pre-ordered two copies... and, yes, I was worried I would not be able to give it five stars... but, no, I would not have done so unless it actually was good, because friendships are temporary, but Goodreads book reviews are eternal). 😋

AI is not in the future, it is now. Many AI projects are up and running and much more on the horizon. What Kanaan provides very well in this excellent reading volume is his account of how it developed and where it is, where it is heading, and potential scenarios.I very much appreciated the history of AI, but cannot subscribe to his evolutionary account as there is no real accepted evidence of this, just theories. However, if one picks it up around 4,000 years ago with language development, you'll get a useful background. Loved the Hindu legend of the king and chessboard and the rise challenge. It provides the mathematical scale of what AI needs and has achieved through technological advances.While AI will tell you that currently there are no known advances to any point close to duplicating the complexities of the human brain, they have significantly gained in achieving AI that will perform dedicated tasks that will outpace and outperform humans, so this is significant. As in good gifts of technology, they can be used for good or evil. That is the debate concerning AI, particularly the major countries vying in the AI arena. Russia and Chine for sure have stated that the one who can dominate AI will dominate the world stage.Thus, when programming these AI operations, whose morals/values will be utilized? Great example given of automatic driven vehicles who would have to deal programmatively with situation of immanent collision with infant crossing in front of them or crashing into loaded School Bus. This is fascinating and Kanaan provides much food for thought and background for us.

In a fast-paced world dominated by information overload, it is all too common an occurrence when professionals across specialties engage in conversations which have them second-guessing their understanding of hot buzzwords and often talking past one another. The result, as Kanaan remarks, is “too many confusions are never clarified and too many more are created.” (p. 5) Artificial Intelligence, or AI, while currently a trending discussion topic is more than a buzzword, it represents a key concept of technology that is increasingly ingrained into our daily lives. It is therefore incumbent upon each of us to ensure we understand what AI is, how it affects us today, and what it will mean for the world of tomorrow. Thankfully, T-Minus AI provides answers to these questions, and in a way that is both approachable and easily digestible.Michael Kanaan’s initial foray into the world of publishing utilizes a building block approach which allows all readers to start with the same basic understanding of the history, evolutionary development, and aspects of AI. He then expertly weaves in social and political considerations, as well as elements of bias, while still connecting to the lives of everyday people seeking to learn more about AI and its implications for our shared future. For the military operators and planners who think they understand AI, T-Minus AI provides a complete run-down of AI-related background and information that is crucial for participating in discussions which will shape and guide our operational reality in the years to come. As Kanaan notes “The full implications and effects of AI and machine learning technologies remain to be seen in the months, years, and even decades ahead.” (p. 232)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to change the world in ways that far exceed what most of us have experienced during our lives. It's going to eliminate lots of jobs and, in fact, that's already starting to happen. You're probably already using AI if you drive a car of relatively recent vintage and you're affected by it on a regular basis if you use social media (it's how those ads that are displayed to you are personalized to your particular tastes and past purchasing). And this particular revolution won't just affect blue-collar workers either...... Of course AI has application in the military world and US leadership has largely ignored it for the past several decades although Silicon Valley has been advancing the technology. But China is rapidly catching up to the US and, in some areas, has the lead and has certain advantages due to the size of the Chinese population and the way China largely skipped right over the personal computer age.This book is clearly written and easy to understand, even if you're not a technically-minded person.Should be required reading for the electorate in this country because you WILL be affected and probably much sooner than you think.

Not quite the book I expected but still thoroughly enjoyable.I had expected to learn about AI itself. What it is, how it works, it's applications, likely future developments and so on. I was expecting more technical and scientific content than was actually in the book. I wanted to learn what machine learning actually is, what is the latest research and what are the limits of AI. There was some of this in the book but not much.Instead the book is much more about the geopolitical implications of AI; especially the second half of the book. The investment that China is making in AI, how it's using it and why we should be worried is an eye-opener and the best chapter in the book. The author provides an accessible discussion on the ethics of AI - how it can be used well and how it can be used to the detriment of democratic values.The first half of the book is about how we got to where we are. Starting with a canter through the origins of intelligent life, then some pithy examples of machine development towards human attributes (e.g. the story of the first computers that beat chess grandmasters, the story of the Enigma code breakers) and where this might go next. There is a very high level description of how computers and AI work (binary code, ASCII, different categories of AI) but not much. I suspect if you chose to read the book, this stuff won't be new to you.The book is fairly short and easy to read. It paints a big picture and is entertaining and eye-opening from a global strategic perspective. I recommend it.

Racy, Punchy, Informative.This is a good book for laymen on the emerging ( or emerged ?) technology of AI and its impact on the world. It deliberately leaves out the complexity behind the emergence of AI and walks the reader through the evolution of increased levels of intelligence in the computing world. It covers all the broad areas of our civilization - geo-polity, economy, security and society at large. It provides a complete SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) analysis of AI.But there are some significant omissions, either due to prejudice or ignorance, in this book.1. Repeated references to "arabic numerals" instead of Hindu / Indian numerals. It is now well known the Hindus invented the place-value system including the concept of zero without which modern day computation would not have been possible. But sadly the author tends to skirts issue and credits "Arabs" for the invention.2. Hindu philosophical systems have extensively dealt with the questions of consciousness, intelligence, knowledge, and memory - all central to the the topic of AI. Sadly, the author seems to be ignorant of these and in the process goes off in a tangent. For ex: an event needs an observer for the corresponding data to be captured. This is completely contrary to the vast experience in Hindu practices where Rishis were able to "listen in" to the Vedic Mantras reverberating in the universe.In spite of the drawbacks, the the overall presentation is slick and readable. Thanks for bringing this book out.

More focus on Ai and less on history