Terry Thomas

History tells us that humankind has hardly ever been truly ready for the changes humanity itself brings. Flight and nuclear power are just two changes that we are still coming to terms with. There are good things about both – but also bad things. And we can see that right now in the nuclear threat that hovers over and around the Ukraine war. How AI will Change You Life is a valiant attempt to see the good things – and the bad – that AI will surely bring. It is wide-ranging; taking account of just about everything that impacts our lives today – and showing how AI will do so - for good and not-so-good. Patrick Dixon’s book excited me but also worried me. It is one thing to have governments out of control but another to have the private sector adding to the turmoil by using AI in ways that might be to the corporate good but not to the well-being of individuals. And our recent experience is that governments are slow to keep up with current technological change – let alone changes that will come at us apace through the wider use of AI. Patrick’s book is a warning from history but also a heads-up about the sweeping and fundamental changes that AI will surely bring. This book is an essential read for those in power in the public and the private sector. For the sake of society in general, I hope they read it and take note.