Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-203) and index.

Explores universal questions about humanity's capacity for living and thriving in the coming age of sentient machines and AI, examining debates from opposing perspectives while discussing emerging intellectual diversity and its potential role in enabling a positive life.

"Whether it is self-driving cars, advancements in search engine technology, or the latest in voice-recognition software, AI, or artificial "machine" intelligence, is playing an ever-greater role in our daily lives. Yet the discussion around these recent advancements is largely polarized; some experts think that machines will solve most of humanity's problems, while others argue that AI's progression will lead us down a dark, dystopian path that renders mankind irrelevant. Regardless of what one believes, the idea that we might bring forth intelligent creation can be intrinsically frightening. But what if this moment reveals humanity's ultimate purpose? What if AI is our greatest creation? Amir Husain, a brilliant inventor and computer scientist, argues that we are on the cusp of writing our greatest creation myth with AI. In the near-term, AI technology will advance many critical fields, including cybersecurity, finance, energy, military applications, and healthcare. In the future, this explosion of intelligence has the potential to reshape our entire existence. In [this book], Husain addresses broad existential questions surrounding the coming of AI: Why are we valuable? What can we create in this world? How are we intelligent? What constitutes progress for us? And how might we fail to progress? Drawing on thinkers from Descartes to Turing, Husain responds to these questions with a dazzling yet realistic look at the future and provides an inspiring vision of the great changes now nearly upon us."--Dust jacket flap

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