The New Fire

War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI

By: Ben Buchanan, Andrew Imbrie

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the modern world. It is ubiquitous-in our homes and offices, in the present and most certainly in the future. Today, we encounter AI as our distant ancestors once encountered fire. If we manage AI well, it will become a force for good, lighting the way to many transformative inventions. If we deploy it thoughtlessly, it will advance beyond our control. If we wield it for destruction, it will fan the flames of a new kind of war, one that holds democracy in the balance. As AI policy experts Ben Buchanan and Andrew Imbrie show in The New Fire, few choices are more urgent—or more fascinating—than how we harness this technology and for what purpose.

The new fire has three sparks: data, algorithms, and computing power. These components fuel viral disinformation campaigns, new hacking tools, and military weapons that once seemed like science fiction. To autocrats, AI offers the prospect of centralized control at home and asymmetric advantages in combat. It is easy to assume that democracies, bound by ethical constraints and disjointed in their approach, will be unable to keep up. But such a dystopia is hardly preordained. Combining an incisive understanding of technology with shrewd geopolitical analysis, Buchanan and Imbrie show how AI can work for democracy. With the right approach, technology need not favor tyranny.

©2022 Benjamin Louis Buchanan and William Andrew Imbrie (P)2022 Kalorama

Great overview of AI

Great introduction to AI. Very thought provoking. With fast moving technology and industry, really need a yearly update.

The vast potential of AI

Enjoyed the author delving a bit into the history of the subject and bringing us present day. Very eye opening to me, someone who knew very little about AI.

I was really looking forward to this book...but disappointed.

first, the narrator was very distracting. His voice emotive, and over emphasis, distracted. the narrator also managed a smug condescending tone throughout. I had to go back many time to listen for facts and information as I was sinsonged along rather than provided factual information I could interpret and build understanding. it could be that having just listened to Hacker had me set up for concrete examples and logical breakdown of events -- i was expecting the same style and pacing. overall, I am hoping there are much better AI books yet to be read.