2084

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity

By: John C. Lennox

Narrated by: Justin Brierley

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

You don't have to be a computer scientist to get involved in the discussion about where artificial intelligence and technology are going.

What will the year 2084 hold for you - for your friends, for your family, and for our society? Are we doomed to the grim dystopia imagined in George Orwell's 1984?

In 2084, scientist and philosopher John Lennox will introduce you to a kaleidoscope of ideas: the key developments in technological enhancement, bioengineering, and, in particular, artificial intelligence. You will discover the current capacity of AI, its advantages and disadvantages, the facts and the fiction, as well as potential future implications.

The questions posed by AI are open to all of us. And they demand answers. A work that is made to challenge all listeners, no matter your worldview, 2084 shows how the Christian worldview, properly understood, can provide evidence-based, credible answers that will bring you real hope for the future of humanity.

©2020 John C. Lennox (P)2020 Zondervan

another stellar work from Lennox!

Lennox continues to challenge me to think more deeply about current issues in light of biblical truth.
also if, like me, you are at all hesitant about things eschatological- this is a great foray into the topic

Great book

Loved this book. It is very informative and interesting. It is a very Christian point of view, but it would be interesting to all who question where we are headed as a people in regards to AI.

A needed Christian voice on this topic.

John makes a clear case for the Christian to be informed and engaged in the matter of AI and the larger matter of man pursuit of god absent of Christ. This was an excellent weaving of AI’s role in Biblical eschatology.

Started strong insights diminished over time

The insights from the book began very strong. But the got less helpful near the end of the book. Still worth a listen. Certainly an insightful book on a topic I hope to see more written in the near future.

Good writer, flawed thinker…

John Lennox provides an intelligent description of AI and its ongoing development. His attempt to integrate these ideas with religion is unfortunately crowded with assumptions that aren’t based in reality or the scientific method and therefore leaves us with the same questions we’ve always had.

Great analysis of the here and coming AI age.

John Lennox is always brilliant. It is too bad he did not narrate this book as well.

Rare Gem in the Field of AI

This is my new favorite book regarding AI. John Lennox provides a commentary with a worldview that is rare to see in this field but rich in technological insight and the philosophy surrounding it.

Excellent!!

Insightful, well researched and written! A cautious warning for all, but especially Christians in this age of AI!

A fresh perspective on AI

I appreciated the author's overview of the advances of artificial intelligence, both narrow and general. Then having given the general thought and popular opinion, the author gives his own take, shaped by his own beliefs. It was refreshing to hear.

Truly remarkable Insight and perspective

I have not heard this view and perspectives. It gives gr8 insight
. I really loved it

A timely, fascinating little book.

This book is concise and well written and as with his other works demonstrates the extraordinarily wide and deep knowledge of Science, Philosophy and Biblical Christianity. The conclusions it draws seem to be philosophically strong and logically sound. There really are very few authors who can draw from such a breadth of knowledge and comment authoritatively on such topics and in such a refreshing way. Along with fellow intellectual titans: Dr William Lane Craig and Professor Anthony Flew: Lennox is one of my favourite authors. In my opinion this book is well worth reading.

Bizarre, tedious, churlish, and very disappointing

Quite a tedious experience in such a fascinating topic.

There were sections of this book I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. Using passages of the Bible to desperately argue with AI seemed forced, strained, and just downright strange.

The author is clearly an intellectual heavyweight, you just need to look at his education and achievements to see that. And so I was especially surprised at the quite churlish tone of this book. It felt more like an infantile hatched job book report on other books.

I did love his explanation of the differences between the worlds of Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World. Perfectly, succinctly explained and I'll certainly be citing that in future.

Once he got into the meat of the discussion and it all became Bible references and desperately tedious links to magic talking snakes and the like I just couldn't take this seriously. It was a real struggle to try and focus on his reasoning and try to set aside the mysticism. The problem is his entire argument hinges on you believing in the bible being real, if you don't it's a farce. So unfortunately I felt alienated as a reader doing my best to inform myself of a facet of this topic I do not usually consider. But maybe it was unfair of me to expect anything other than just that.

I was expecting a considered, reasoned moral debate on the value of AI and an effective, thought-provoking view of the moral and existential crisis that AI introduces to humanity. But it doesn't really do that. It just tries desperately to apply bible verses to AI. "We aren't God so we shouldn't" was more or less what he says. "We shouldn't augment ourselves with technology because God would be cross" was another point. "Jesus is the OG Homo Deus and we best not be stepping on his toes" was another. It all felt infantile, reductive, and narrow in scale.

I think he really missed the opportunity to have a grown-up discussion on morality in AI and how it could potential cheapen or damage our humanity. That was clearly his aim but it just felt like political point-scoring for his religion. "My Holy book says this so we are right" rather than actually discussing it logically. But maybe that is what this was, an unapologetic Sunday school analysis on AI. But did anyone really need that?

The churlish adversarial tone he takes towards Harari and his books was utterly ridiculous. Constantly sniping and snarking. Very poor show, I expected more. I must confess I haven't read Harari's novels myself, but this book has certainly inspired me to do so. Which seems to be the opposite to what it was trying to achieve.

The chap actually doing the reading for the audiobook did a good job at keeping such dry material engaging. No problems in that department.

interesting look at the AI future ahead

great narration of an interesting book. Challenging us to compare the future with the past.