The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI

The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI

  • Downloads：9394
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-09 16:21:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ben Buchanan
  • ISBN：0262046547
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Histoire et fiction ，

The New Fire is a fascinating book about artificial intelligence （AI） and what it means for the future of geopolitics。 Written by two scholars of Georgetown University， it is remarkably accessible while diving deep into the subject matter。 Complex concepts such as neural networks and generative adversarial networks （GAN） are explained in very clear terms， so that they can be understood by readers without a technical background。 To make the book a more pleasant read， the authors also combine case The New Fire is a fascinating book about artificial intelligence （AI） and what it means for the future of geopolitics。 Written by two scholars of Georgetown University， it is remarkably accessible while diving deep into the subject matter。 Complex concepts such as neural networks and generative adversarial networks （GAN） are explained in very clear terms， so that they can be understood by readers without a technical background。 To make the book a more pleasant read， the authors also combine case studies with the personal stories of many individual actors involved in the development of AI research。 The New Fire shows how AI， and machine learning in particular， is already reshaping the way States think about war and peace。 The analogy with fire is a way to suggest that AI does not have to result in the destruction of humanity and that we can learn to harness this “new fire” to ensure it used for good。 The book is structured in three parts。 In the first section， the three “sparks” of AI are analysed， namely data， algorithms， and computing power。 Sections 2 and 3， on the other hand， focus on （inter）national security concerns， covering issues such as AI-powered cyberattacks， AI-powered disinformation campaigns， and autonomous lethal weapons。In each chapter， emerging issues are clearly presented and assessed through three different perspectives: the pessimistic view （called the “Cassandras”）， the optimistic view （the “evangelists”）， and the realistic view （the “warriors”）。 This allows for a balanced discussion and does not prevent the authors from making their own recommendations on how democratic States， and especially the US， should go about investing their resources in AI research applied to geopolitics。Whereas some thinkers like Yuval Noah Harari believe that AI will give autocracies an advantage over democracies， Buchanan and Imbrie are more optimistic and outline some of the strengths of democracies in today’s geopolitical competition around AI， from the control of computer chips’ manufacturing capabilities to the attraction of R&D talent。 But a lot of uncertainty remains， and the many possible scenarios developed in the book are definitely helpful in grasping the potential impact of AI on the future of international relations。I would like to thank NetGalley and MIT Press for giving me the opportunity to review this book prior to its official release in March 2022。 。。。more

Patrick Pilz ，

A very good and timely commentary on most aspects of AI and machine learning and how it influences our daily lives。 Very well researched and written。 Accessible even for the novices on the topic。