The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity (Signed. First Edition.)

Byron Reese

ISBN 10: 1501158562 / ISBN 13: 9781501158568

Published by Atria Books, 2018

About this Item

This first edition is signed by the author on the flytitle page. Boards are bound in sky-blue paper. Covers are plain with white lettering on the spine. xi, 320 pp. Illustrated dust jacket shows an android robot sitting on a cube in sky blue, black, and white colors. Protected with a mylar cover. Both book and dust jacket are fine. A very nice, signed, first edition copy. Full refund if not satisfied.FROM THE DUST JACKET: "A great turning point in the history of our species is at hand. AI and robotics are poised to redefine what it means to be human. So.what exactly does that mean for you? [.] This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to move beyond the warring viewpoints of techno pundits, as we rocket toward this next species-changing rendezvous with technology.ABOUT THE AUTHOR: "Byron Reese is the CEO and publisher of the technology research company Gigaom and the founder of several high-tech companies. He has spent the better part of his life exploring the interplay of technology with human history. Reese has obtained or has patents pending in disciplines as varied as crowdsourcing, content creation, and psychographics. The websites he has launched -- which cover the intersection of technology, business, science, and history -- have together received more than a billion visitors. He is the author of the acclaimed book 'Infinite Progress: How the Internet and Technology will End Ignorance, Disease, Poverty, Hunger, and War.' He lives in Austin, Texas.".

Seller Inventory # 076185

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity (Signed. First Edition.)
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1501158562
• ISBN 13: 9781501158568
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Signed: Signed by the Author
• Seller catalogs:
  • Social Science

About this title

Synopsis

“The Fourth Age not only discusses what the rise of A.I. will mean for us, it also forces readers to challenge their preconceptions. And it manages to do all this in a way that is both entertaining and engaging.” —The New York Times

As we approach a great turning point in history when technology is poised to redefine what it means to be human, The Fourth Age offers fascinating insight into AI, robotics, and their extraordinary implications for our species.

In The Fourth Age, Byron Reese makes the case that technology has reshaped humanity just three times in history:

- 100,000 years ago, we harnessed fire, which led to language.

- 10,000 years ago, we developed agriculture, which led to cities and warfare.

- 5,000 years ago, we invented the wheel and writing, which lead to the nation state.

We are now on the doorstep of a fourth change brought about by two technologies: AI and robotics. The Fourth Age provides extraordinary background information on how we got to this point, and how—rather than what—we should think about the topics we’ll soon all be facing: machine consciousness, automation, employment, creative computers, radical life extension, artificial life, AI ethics, the future of warfare, superintelligence, and the implications of extreme prosperity.

By asking questions like “Are you a machine?” and “Could a computer feel anything?”, Reese leads you through a discussion along the cutting edge in robotics and AI, and, provides a framework by which we can all understand, discuss, and act on the issues of the Fourth Age, and how they’ll transform humanity.

About the Author

Byron Reese is the CEO and publisher of the technology research company Gigaom, and the founder of several high-tech companies. He has spent the better part of his life exploring the interplay of technology with human history. Reese has obtained or has pending patents in disciplines as varied as crowdsourcing, content creation, and psychographics. The websites he has launched, which cover the intersection of technology, business, science, and history, have together received over a billion visitors. He is the author of the acclaimed book, Infinite Progress. He lives in Austin, Texas.