“A new masterpiece from one of my favorite authors.”—Bill GatesAn essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible--a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish.We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check--because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.In this ambitious and thought-provoking book we see, for example, that globalization isn’t inevitable--the foolishness of allowing 70 per cent of the world’s rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became glaringly obvious in 2020--and that our societies ha
A sweeping history of and meditation on humanity's relationship with machines, showing how we got here and what happens nextFaith in technological fixes for our problems is waning. Automation, which promised relief from toil, has reactivated the long-standing fear of job redundancy. Information technology, meant to liberate us from traditional authority, is placing unprecedented powers of surveillance and control in the hands of a purely secular Big Brother.And for the first time, artificial intelligence threatens anthropogenic disaster – disaster caused by our own activities. Scientists join imaginative writers in warning us of the fate of Icarus, whose wings melted because he flew too close to the sun. This book tells the story of our fractured relationship with machines from humanity’s first tools down to the present and into the future.It raises the crucial question of why some parts of the world developed a ‘machine civilisation’ and not others, and traces the interactions between
《The Coming Wave》由 DeepMind 共同創辦人、現任 Microsoft AI 執行長 Mustafa Suleyman 撰寫，探討人工智慧與其他快速發展科技對全球秩序帶來的重大影響。作者指出，AI、量子電腦、生物工程、自主武器與機器人等技術將在未來十年快速改變社會，同時帶來繁榮與前所未有的風險。本書聚焦於「控制問題」：人類如何在科技失控與過度監控之間取得平衡，維持對強大技術的掌控，並走向更安全的未來。NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An urgent warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance—from a co-founder of the pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind and current CEO of Microsoft AI“A fascinating, well-written, and important book.”—Yuval Noah Harari“Essential reading.”—Daniel Kahneman“My favorite book on AI.”—Bill Gates, GatesNotesA Best Book of the Year: CNN, Economist, Bloomberg, Politico Playbook, Financial Times, The Guardian, CEO Magazine, Semafor • Winner of the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Award • Finalist for the Porchlight Business Book Award and the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year AwardWe are approaching a critical threshold in
A bold reinterpretation of economics and history revealing why technology does not inevitably lead to shared prosperity, and how we must redirect innovation in the age of AI to benefit all. A thousand years of history and contemporary evidence make it clear that progress depends on the choices we make about technology. New ways of organizing production and communication can either serve the narrow interests of an elite or become the foundation for widespread prosperity. At no point has this been truer than the crossroads we face today. The transformation of work by digital technologies and AI could make life better for most people, or possibly much worse - depending on the economic, social, and political choices we make. Through powerful, illuminating examples, Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson fundamentally change how we see the world. The wealth generated by technological improvements in agriculture during the European Middle Ages was captured by the nobility and used to build grand c
榮獲ANTHEM大獎，入選《金融時報》2024年度最佳好書——《演算法》揭露AI正在悄悄主宰我們的工作與生活。記者Hilke Schellmann深入追蹤演算法如何影響求職、監控員工、甚至預測心理健康。她揭示AI背後的偏見與錯誤，並呼籲人類應奪回對未來的主導權。在這個AI重塑世界的時代，本書是一道警鐘，也是一線希望。ANTHEM AWARD WINNER • NAMED A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024AI is on the brink of dominating our lives, threating our privacy and human future—if we don’t take action now. In The Algorithm, Emmy‑award winning Wall Street Journal and Guardian contributor Hilke Schellmann delivers a shocking and illuminating exposé on one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time: how AI has quietly, and mostly out of sight, taken over the world of work. Schellmann takes readers on a journalistic detective story, meeting job applicants and employees who have been subjected to these technologies, playing AI-based video games that companies use for hiring, and investigating algorithms that scan our online activity to construct personality profiles— including if we are prone to self -harm. She convinces whistleblowers to share r
A gripping middle-grade history that offers a fresh look at the groundbreaking 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by spotlighting the protest's radical roots and the underappreciated role of Black women--includes a wealth of contemporary black-and-white photos throughout. Six decades ago, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom--a moment often revered as the culmination of this Black-led protest. But at its core, the March on Washington was not a beautiful dream of future integration; it was a mass outcry for jobs and freedom NOW--not at some undetermined point in the future. It was a revolutionary march with its own controversies and problems, the themes of which still resonate to this day. Without diminishing the words of Dr. King, More Than a Dream looks at the march through a wider lens, using Black newspaper reports as a primary resource, recognizing the overlooked wo
Activist flashcards offer a fun, engaging way to learn about influential social activists from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Malala Yousafzai.A deck of 40 cards highlights iconic activists from around th
A deeply intimate look at the cataclysmic shifts between humans, technology, and the so-called natural worldFacebooking the Anthropocene in Raja Ampat is a deeply intimate look at the cataclysmic shif
Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Awards 2022 Best Books with Facts*A positive, reassuring and anxiety-eliminating book helping children change the way they think about the world*Pandemics, war, terror, natural disasters - the world seems to be full of bad news and it can all feel, well, a little bit scary. But this is just part of the story. There are in fact tons of great things happening, from robots improving health care and trees healing the planet, to everyday people helping their community with acts of kindness and the businesses fighting for good in the world.In Good News, children will learn to become fake news detectives, sussing out what's real and what isn't. They'll discover the good news - the amazing anecdotes, case studies and figures around the globe that are making a difference. And they'll learn that if we all continue to work together, things can only keep getting better and better.Empowering, reassuring and confidence-boosting, this book is a positive antidote for tes
The inspiring true story of a Greta Thunberg, a young eco-activist whose persistence sparked a global movement.You are never too young to make a difference. Ever since she learned about climate change
Learn all about big leaders who love and protect the Earth in this engaging and inspiring board book perfect for environmentalists-in-training!Now even the youngest readers can learn all about importa
March through history and discover twenty-five groundbreaking protest movements that have shaped the way we fight for equality and justice today in this stunningly illustrated and sweeping book!For ge
Bringing together a team of cutting-edge researchers based in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indo-Pacific countries, this book focuses on the tug of war between China's influence and forces of resistance in Ho
