A practical, deeply reported survival guide for the age of AI, written by the New York Times tech columnist who has introduced millions to the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence.
“Artificial intelligence can be terrifying, but Kevin Roose provides a clear, compelling strategy for surviving the next wave of technology with our jobs—and souls—intact.”—Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
It’s time to get real about AI.
After decades of hype and sci-fi fantasies, AI—artificial intelligence—is leaping out of research labs and into the center of our lives. Millions of people now use tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E 2 to write essays, create art and finish coding projects. AI programs are already beating humans in fields like law, medicine and entertainment, and they’re getting better every day.
But AI doesn’t just threaten our jobs. It shapes our entire human experience, steering our behavior and influencing our choices about which TV shows to watch, which clothes to buy, and which politicians to vote for.
And while many experts argue about whether a robot apocalypse is near, one critical question has gone unanswered:
In a world where AI is ascendant, how can humans survive and thrive?
In Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation, New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose shares the secrets of people and organizations that have successfully navigated waves of technological change, and explains what skills are necessary to stay ahead of the curve today, with lessons like
• Be surprising, social, and scarce
• Resist machine drift
• Leave handprints
• Demote your devices
• Treat AI like a chimp army
Roose rejects the conventional wisdom that in order to compete with AI, we have to become more like robots ourselves—hyper-efficient, data-driven workhorses. Instead, he says, we should focus on being more human, and doing the kinds of creative, inspiring, and meaningful things even the most advanced algorithms can’t do.
Industry Reviews
"Engaging . . . Roose delves into this crisis with an accessible touch that nicely explains how AI is infiltrating every part of our society and workforce."-The Times
"Artificial intelligence-and robots themselves-can be terrifying, but Kevin Roose provides a clear, compelling strategy for surviving the next wave of technology with our jobs-and souls-intact. Whether you're an optimist or a pessimist about the future, Futureproof is the survival guide you need."-Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
"Tech companies are changing the way we live, but no one is in charge of making sure that technology is improving lives. While we need to rewrite the rules of the twenty-first-century economy with solutions powerful enough to deal with these changes, Roose's book is a great look at how people can act on a personal level to always put humanity first."-Andrew Yang
"While I think that Skynet is still going to send the Terminator back to try to kill humanity someday, it's worth your time and attention-if that is still a thing in the addled Internet age-to read Kevin Roose's bracing book now. Why? Because it's a primer on the future and how to deal with the incoming today, from AI to automation to robotics and more, by using the tools of creativity and just being human. Whether the digital threat comes from a cybernetic organism from 2459 arriving in a big ball of lightning or from that innocent-looking mobile supercomputer in your hand, I do know that you need to prepare for the next tech age. And there's no better way to do it than to futureproof yourself by letting Roose show you how."-Kara Swisher, host of Sway and Pivot, New York Times contributing opinion writer
