The Coming Wave
A book review of The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman
Summary:
Mustafa Suleyman, one of the founders of DeepMind, explores the coming technological advancement wave that we are experiencing the build up for currently. He explores the history of such technological revolutions and the implications that have followed them. A large portion of the book is dedicated to the dangers of AI misuse and/or uncontrolled AGI.
Review:
Having recently finished The Infinity Machine, which explores the history of DeepMind, I was interested in what one-third of the founder team had to say about how AI will shape our world in the future. I did enjoy reading this book, though I will admit straight away that I feel perhaps Suleyman goes a bit far on the fear tactics. I certainly agree that we need to control for unethical misuse of the powerful tools AI provides, but I don’t quite know if I believe that AGI will be the downfall of the human race.
The book is well written and the author is clearly very intelligent and a deep researcher. He outlines several technological revolutions from the past, starting as early as the invention of the wheel and up through the Industrial Revolution and computer age. I found these early sections to be some of the most interesting, because it laid the framework for how humanity has always been shaped by these pivotal moments.
He does touch on the history of AI specifically and goes into a bit of the DeepMind story as well - especially speaking to Alpha Go and how his team essentially brought about the existence of true superhuman intelligence - which is the foundation for the LLM tools that we all know and use today.
On the positive side, he highlights how AI will help usher us into a time of semi-utopia, should we use it for advancements in medical technology, food supply technology, and space exploration/settlement. It struck me that these topics sound like a science-fiction novel, but in the not-so-distant future they could become a reality. Suleyman believes, as do many, that AI will find the cure to diseases like cancer, eventually.
On the negative front, he spends around a third of the book discussing the vast dangers that AI brings. More than any other technological advancement of the past, AI puts humanity at risk. The reason? We will be usurped as the most intelligent species on the planet and could become like the animal kingdom in comparison. He specifically calls out that we go to zoos to watch gorillas in captivity because they are less intelligent and many other species have been eradicated from the planet because of humanity.
What’s to stop AI from eventually trying to solve a problem, realizing that humans are the reason for the problem, and coming to the logical conclusion that by removing humanity we solve the problem? Suleyman says without proper guardrails, nothing is stopping that from happening… and he gives many examples of how that could play out.
Overall, I’d say if you’re interested in technology and AI, this is a good read. It’s not one I’d share with just anyone, though, because I feel like it could really put someone in a panic state if they’re already uncomfortable with AI.