AI 2041

Ten Visions for Our Future

By: Kai-Fu Lee, Chen Qiufan

Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Justin Chien, Soneela Nankani, Mirron Willis, Emily Woo Zeller, Siho Ellsmore, Fajer Al-Kaisi

How will AI change our world within twenty years? A pioneering technologist and acclaimed writer team up for a “dazzling” (The New York Times) look at the future that “brims with intriguing insights” (Financial Times)

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Financial Times

Long before the advent of ChatGPT, Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan understood the enormous potential of artificial intelligence to transform our daily lives. But even as the world wakes up to the power of AI, many of us still fail to grasp the big picture. Chatbots and large language models are only the beginning.

In this “inspired collaboration” (The Wall Street Journal), Lee and Chen join forces to imagine our world in 2041 and how it will be shaped by AI. In ten gripping, globe-spanning short stories and accompanying commentary, their book introduces readers to an array of eye-opening settings and characters grappling with the new abundance and potential harms of AI technologies like deep learning, mixed reality, robotics, artificial general intelligence, and autonomous weapons.

Critic reviews

“An invaluable and entertaining vision of the future.”—Ray Dalio, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles

“To say that AI 2041 is enlightening and valuable, is to understate its significance. . . . AI 2041’s scientific fiction gives us a way to open our eyes to what is actually going on all around us and where things are heading.”—John Kao, Forbes

“By blending imaginative storytelling and technical expertise, Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan bring to life a vision for AI that addresses both our curiosity and our fears. Read this captivating book to better understand how and when certain technologies are likely to mature, and what that could mean for all of us.”—Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft

“We have reached a momentous inflection point with AI, and no other book I’ve read captures it with such stunning insight and imagination. Instead of wondering whether to trust AI, we must think of it as a tool—one that we humans are in charge of shaping. Kai-Fu Lee’s brilliant analysis in AI 2041 embodies this urgent mandate for humanity, while Chen Qiufan’s gripping stories reveal how AI can become a bridge between previously unsolvable problems and a future of new possibilities.”—Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global

“AI 2041 is the perfect fusion of science and fiction, illuminating the pervasive impact artificial intelligence will have in our lives and the challenges we face in shaping a techno-future that benefits all of humanity.”—Marc Benioff, chair and CEO, Salesforce

“Applying AI to business usually means learning the technology first and then figuring out how to apply it. AI 2041 allows readers to take the exact opposite approach. Through amazingly entertaining stories, Lee and Chen take us on an immersive trip through the future and then zoom out with exceptionally clear explanations of the technology at work. The result is an enjoyable and eye-opening book for those trying to understand how to apply AI.”—Mark Cuban

“Making predictions about the future of AI is not for the faint of heart. This inspired collaboration between a pioneering technologist and a visionary writer of science fiction offers bold and urgent insights into how these technologies may impact our lives.”—Yann LeCun, winner of the Turing Award; chief AI scientist, Facebook

“Are we fit for the strange new world we seem determined to create? What is clear is that imagination-defying change is upon us. Less clear is what these changes will mean for humankind. Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan’s AI 2041 offers the most carefully and caringly considered visions of what is soon to come.”—Bennett Miller, Academy Award–nominated director of Moneyball and Foxcatcher

Great book!!!!

So insightful and thought provoking!! a very interesting approach in telling fictional stories around potentially factual events.

Performances were ok. Writing, meh.

Always a challenge to combine ‘lessons’ and fiction without the latter suffering. Story writing with an agenda, and then a follow-on class for each story to make sure you got the point. Some good tidbits, Maybe in print so you could better speed/skip through it.

Boring stories but good content

The content of the evaluation of AÍ capabilities is interesting... But the stories are so boring it made me skip most of them... Waste of my time listening to them. And some of the narrators don't help either...

DARING, INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING!

This book is extremely unique in the way it combines cutting edge / future AI technology with entertaining science fiction writing. There are 10 fictional short stories set in the year 2041, with accompanying analysis explaining the current and future development of the technologies which form part of the story. The stories are really creative and some had me riveted to learn what would happen. Many topics are covered, including autonomous vehicles, deep fakes, AI assistants, autonomous weapons, and data privacy. I especially appreciate how the authors included other dimensions of the various technologies, above and beyond the purely technical capabilities / requirements. For example, in the chapter on job loss / placement relating to AI, the issues of UBI, the non-financial aspects of work and some of the political considerations were highlighted. But most of all, the authors were daring in their effort to combine a vision of what AI might look like in 2041 with the technical analysis provided by one of the leading authorities in AI. It was because of this combination and how the authors pulled it off that my overall rating is a 5. Bravo!

pie in the sky

oh wow. I had hoped for better. The stories are entertaining. The Arthur theorizes that a entire change in our economic system will be necessary. Left out are the foreigns of humanity. it's worth the read if you don't expect too much.