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The Coming Wave

A.I., Power and the Twenty-First Century's Greatest Dilemma

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The Coming Wave

By: Mustafa Suleyman, Michael Bhaskar
Narrated by: Mustafa Suleyman
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

**A Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, Sept 2023**

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE FT BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023**

AI. SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY. QUANTUM COMPUTING. Everything is about to change. This is the only book you need to understand this new world.

From the ultimate AI insider, Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, part of Google.

Soon you will live surrounded by AIs. They will organise your life, operate your business, and run core government services. You will live in a world of DNA printers and quantum computers, engineered pathogens and autonomous weapons, robot assistants and abundant energy.

None of us are prepared.

As co-founder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind, part of Google, Mustafa Suleyman has been at the centre of this revolution. The coming decade, he argues, will be defined by this wave of powerful, fast-proliferating new technologies.

In The Coming Wave, Suleyman shows how these forces will create immense prosperity but also threaten the nation-state, the foundation of global order. As our fragile governments sleepwalk into disaster, we face an existential dilemma: unprecedented harms on one side and the threat of overbearing surveillance on the other.

Can we forge a narrow path between catastrophe and dystopia?

This ground-breaking book from the ultimate AI insider establishes 'the containment problem' - the task of maintaining control over powerful technologies - as the essential challenge of our age.

©2023 Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar (P)2023 Penguin Audio
Future Studies Machine Theory & Artificial Intelligence Inspiring Thought-Provoking Robotics Surveillance

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Critic reviews

'Fascinating, well-written, and important' Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens

'Deeply rewarding and consistently astonishing' Stephen Fry

'An excellent guide for navigating unprecedented times' Bill Gates

Featured article: Steven Bartlett recommends…


In the spirit of continuous learning we asked Steven to share with us the books he’s enjoyed and been inspired by. Covering psychology and health to business and technology, read on to discover Steven Bartlett’s top listening recommendations.

What listeners say about The Coming Wave

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One of the best listens this year.

This is a no holds barred study of the future of AI. It is incredibly detailed and yet presented in a way that is accessible to the average listener. It is both fascinating and terrifying and a must read for anyone interested in technology, politics, big commerce and the future of the human race.

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Excellent

Excellent listen. Highly recommended. Extremely relevant at this period in time with so much hype around A.I!!

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Unique Experience and Perspective

Very few people in our generation will have gained this experience and perspective. A must read for anyone interested in designing a better future

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Interesting and frightful.

This book tries to drive home the huge risks and the possible gains of AI. And after spending about ten chapters of painting a rather dark future, it spends the final ones trying to usher in a positive vibe and suggests some directions to wander for humanity to limit risks, and change the patterns of human history.
I am very impressed with the authors grasp of history and enjoy listening to examples and analogies. But this is not for the faint of heart.

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An interesting and thought provoking view

Firstly, it is always a delight when an author is eloquent enough to narrate their own work. It adds nuance to the delivery which brings the subject to life. Especially valuable when the topic can be dry at times.
The thoughts and theories behind the body of the work are relevant but opaque to many, so it is valuable to have this accessible narrative on the potential pitfalls and risks of inaction.
The author pushes the completion and adoption of multiple disparate technical advancements to their ultimate (but I would argue not inevitable) conclusion and shows the potential impact that would have on society.
Well researched, only occasionally opinionated and controversial only where it serves to focus the mind, this is an interesting and thought provoking narrative on the potential risk of inaction and the need for attention from a broad range of observers.
As somebody with a role in the field, I found it to be a valuable and broad reaching discussion on the amplifying impact of multiple technical evolutions on our future.

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Interesting and thought provoking

Well presented, reasoned and balanced observations and arguments on the potential benefits and risks of emerging technology.

Written in plain English (if not a little dry at points) well read with a good pace. Very timely and enlightening.

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Informative and important.

I have read many books on AI by now and yet I found the coming wave highly informative, compellingly told and incredibly important. Read it and pass it on.

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informative

Brilliant. Well written, well narrated and very informative. Highly recommended. Enjoyed every minute of it.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Zeros and Ones

Mustafa Suleiman is at his best when he is envisaging a future dominated by artificial intelligences. He does an excellent job painting picture of what life may be like in 20 years time. I think, unfortunately, that he's less good at the job of explaining and persuading as to what needs to be done to mitigate these uncalled for outcomes. It's not simply that he's repetitious and at times shrill but rather that he doesn't quite have the literary gifts to make his argument in an elegant and therefore persuasive manner.

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authoritative

mustafa speaks with wisdom and compassion. he has seen the dark side and wants to contain it

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