Scary Smart cover art

Scary Smart

The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World

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Scary Smart

By: Mo Gawdat
Narrated by: Mo Gawdat
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About this listen

This audiobook is masterfully read by the author, Mo Gawdat.

One of The Sunday Times' Business Books of the Year


Technology is putting our humanity at risk to an unprecedented degree. This book is not for engineers who write the code or the policy makers who claim they can regulate it. This is a book for you. Because, believe it or not, you are the only one that can fix it.Mo Gawdat

'From a brilliant mind comes a terrifying prediction' – Tim Ash, bestselling author of Unleash Your Primal Brain


Artificial intelligence is smarter than humans. It can process information at lightning speed and remain focused on specific tasks without distraction. AI can see into the future, predicting outcomes and even use sensors to see around physical and virtual corners. So why does AI frequently get it so wrong?

The answer is us. Humans design the algorithms that define the way that AI works, and the processed information reflects an imperfect world. Does that mean we are doomed? In Scary Smart, Mo Gawdat, the internationally bestselling author of Solve for Happy, draws on his considerable expertise to answer this question and to show what we can all do now to teach ourselves and our machines how to live better. With more than thirty years' experience working at the cutting-edge of technology and his former role as chief business officer of Google [X], no one is better placed than Mo Gawdat to explain how the Artificial Intelligence of the future works.

By 2049 AI will be a billion times more intelligent than humans. Scary Smart explains how to fix the current trajectory now, to make sure that the AI of the future can preserve our species. This audiobook offers a blueprint, pointing the way to what we can do to safeguard ourselves, those we love and the planet itself.

Computer Science Engineering History & Culture Machine Theory & Artificial Intelligence Technology & Society Technology Artificial Intelligence Robotics Inspiring Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

Mo Gawdat is my life guru. His writing, his ideas and his generosity in sharing them has changed my life for the better in so many ways. Everything he writes is an enlightening education in how to be human.
A proactive and bold read that provides the shake that humans need to take back our agency over AI, and therefore the fate of the world as we see it. (Dr Camilla Pang, author of Explaining Humans: What Science Can Teach Us About Life, Love and Relationships)
From a brilliant mind comes a terrifying prediction - our puny efforts will not be enough to control the rise of the machines... Mo takes us on a whirlwind exploration of the fast-approaching singularity, and offers a desperate last chance to have a say in the future of humanity. Read this book! (Tim Ash, bestselling author of Unleash Your Primal Brain)
Scary Smart is unlike anything I’ve ever read . . . What Mo does is help us analyze what it means to be human, by looking at what can or cannot happen with the rise of artificial intelligence. (Poppy Jamie, author and founder of Happy Not Perfect)
Our brain fog about artificial intelligence makes it both exciting and terrifying in equal measure, Mo Gawdat is the expert guide you need to help decipher the realities of a complex subject. Mo writes so beautifully that a complex subject reads like a page turner. (Bruce Daisley, Former Twitter VP and bestselling author of The Joy of Work)
As we face the future we can either choose to deny reality and suffer or face reality head on. We can withdraw into our own private worlds and give up on humanity or remain joyful and engaged to do our part to improve our future for our children, grandchildren, and future generations. The choice is ours. I’m choosing to “go with Mo.” (Jed Diamond, PhD, author of The Enlightened Marriage and Twelve Rules for Good Men)
I am so grateful for Mo's work - his ability to distill big ideas, share mind-blowing research and inspire change alongside kindness. His words have had a profound tangible impact on my life. No one ever regrets reading anything Mo Gawdat has written. (Emma Gannon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Multi-Hyphen Method and host of award-winning podcast Ctrl Alt Delete)
The call from Mo is loud and clear: this is the greatest responsibility of our lifetimes - to evolve and take full responsibility for how we allow reality, and in this case AI, to echo back to us our inner thoughts and actions. Thank you for giving us this genius catalyst. (John Sanei, Future Strategist, best-selling author and Singularity University faculty member.)
Mo Gawdat shows, in this beautifully written book, the grave threat posed to humanity by failing to live up to our responsibility as AI's parents. He has the wisdom to know that the solution requires learning to love. (Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor)
All stars
Most relevant
anyone interested in understanding where technological advances are taking us should read this book. it is really quite profound and makes an excellent progression to Yuval Noah Harari's 'Homo Deus'. Scary and thought-provoking, but not entirely depressing; whether we are doomed or not is up to each and every one of us.

profound, enlightening and concerning

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Fascinating topic made accessible to everyone. Mo writes in a way that make the world of AI understandable and recognisable in our everyday. His case for changing the way we use an interact with AI is compelling and inspiring. Welcome machines, to a world we can be happy in together ❤

For everyone, a look into our shared future.

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Mo Gawdat is phenomenal at breaking things down and as much as this may be a complex topic it is simplified to a level that I believe many 10 year olds could grasp

A great breakdown of what the future of technology holds in store for us

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Well read and very interesting, but too introspective in big sections of the book for my tastes. Would like a bit more technical and industry analysis looking at incentives.

Balanced and mostly positive take on AI ethics

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Mo Gawdat brilliantly demystifies AI, blending thought-provoking insights with optimism. A compelling read that enlightens and inspires, offering a hopeful perspective on technology’s future. Even though the precipice of change is going to be a challenging path with high risks for all. Gawdat’s expertise shines, making complex concepts accessible and engaging. An essential guide for understanding AI’s role in shaping a better world and how we can approach these new Alternative. No biologic entities.

Alternative Intelligence and the future is here

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