Nexus

I finished listening to Nexus by Ramez Naam this week. I heard about the series from the "Wait But Why" articles mentioned in a previous post. From a literary perspective, the book is pretty standard sci-fi fare, but it does raise interesting points about the future of AI and human/machine interfaces.

Naam seems to have a libertarian bent on the social and political issues facing us with the rise of these technologies. He is careful about giving a fair portrayal of those that resist transhumanism and post-humanism, but overall one gets the feeling that the rise of machine consciousness is akin to a force of nature. In other words, resistance is futile.

There is a driving tension in the book between the benefits and risks of technological progress. Some of the biggest questions are around personal liberty. What is a bigger threat to freedom: restricting research into and use of specific technologies, or the potential for those technologies to manipulate and exploit people? I am ambivalent on the issue, but one thing I am sure of is the importance of learning as much as possible about AI, biotechnology, nanotechnology, robots, and other ways automation and machines are chaning our world.

Nexus is an approachable, entertaining introduction to many of the philosophical questions around the future of technology. For me, it was a nice break from technical texts and essays.