*2021 Financial Times Best Book of the Year* A bold exploration and call-to-arms over the widening gap between AI, automation, and big data--and our ability to deal with its effects We are living in the first exponential age. High-tech innovations are created at dazzling speeds; technological forces we barely understand remake our homes and workplaces; centuries-old tenets of politics and economics are upturned by new technologies. It all points to a world that is getting faster at a dizzying pace. Azeem Azhar, renowned technology analyst and host of the Exponential View podcast, offers a revelatory new model for understanding how technology is evolving so fast, and why it fundamentally alters the world. He roots his analysis in the idea of an "exponential gap" in which technological developments rapidly outpace our society's ability to catch up. Azhar shows that this divide explains many problems of our time--from political polarization to ballooning inequality to unchecked corporate power. With stunning clarity of vision, he delves into how the exponential gap is a near-inevitable consequence of the rise of AI, automation, and other exponential technologies, like renewable energy, 3D printing, and synthetic biology, which loom over the horizon. And he offers a set of policy solutions that can prevent the growing exponential gap from fragmenting, weakening, or even destroying our societies. The result is a wholly new way to think about technology, one that will transform our understanding of the economy, politics, and the future.

We live in a world that's constantly redesigned. Today's redesign is tomorrow's vintage look. But times of crisis rapidly change the picture. Suddenly, the whole world is in dire need of a proper redesign. From capitalism to communication, from work to supply chains, from cities to office space - it's hard to find an area of our lives that's not due for an overhaul. This is a challenge, but also a huge opportunity: to design a better world.

The Times and Financial Times Book of the Year 'Enticing' Sunday Times | 'Engaging' Financial Times | 'Essential' Reid Hoffman ___ As technology accelerates, the human mind struggles to keep up - and our companies, workplaces and democracies get left behind. This is the exponential gap. Now, a leading technologist explores how this exponential gap is rewiring our world - and reveals how we should respond. ___ 'The sheer might of technology giants is one of the great challenges of our time . . . Azeem Azhar's excellent book Exponential offers some solutions' Amol Rajan, BBC News 'Azhar has a knack for interrogating and inverting conventional thinking . . . A convincing case that something extraordinary is taking place in business and society' Economist 'Deft and clear-eyed . . . Perhaps Azhar's most valuable insight is that conservatively managing the individual risks posed by new technologies will not suffice' Financial Times 'Speaks powerfully about how we need to shape technology to put it back in the service of society' Guardian 'Valuable and timely . . . A diligent and comprehensive definition of a new phase in human affairs' Sunday Times

The Times and Financial Times Book of the Year 'Comprehensive but lively . . . Highly recommended!' Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and author of Blitzscaling As technology accelerates, the human mind struggles to keep up - and our companies, workplaces, and democracies get left behind. This is the exponential gap. Now, a leading technologist explains how this exponential gap is rewiring business and society. Exploring corporations and the workplace, diplomacy and big tech, Exponential makes sense of a period of dizzyingly fast change - and reveals how we should respond. __ 'Valuable and timely . . . The importance of the book lies in its diligent and comprehensive definition of a new phase in human affairs . . . An enticing and valuable read.' Sunday Times 'Read this book if you are interested in how we can design a more inclusive and sustainable system with a re-direction of technological change at its centre.' Mariana Mazzucato, UCL professor and author of The Value of Everything and Mission Economy 'Azeem Azhar is one of the best-regarded thought leaders in the industry . . . He has a broad understanding of the ways technology can be used to solve our biggest problems, shape our society, and bridge cultural divides.' Daniel Ek, co-founder and CEO of Spotify

The Times and Financial Times Book of the Year 'Enticing' Sunday Times 'Engaging' Financial Times 'Excellent' Amol Rajan, BBC News As technology accelerates, the human mind struggles to keep up - and our companies, workplaces, and democracies get left behind. This is the exponential gap. Now, a leading technologist explains how this exponential gap is rewiring business and society. Exploring corporations and the workplace, diplomacy and big tech, Exponential makes sense of a period of dizzyingly fast change - and reveals how we should respond. __ 'Valuable and timely . . . The importance of the book lies in its diligent and comprehensive definition of a new phase in human affairs.' Sunday Times 'A sweeping, engaging, nuanced, and ultimately conflicted look at how recent innovations in computing and other emerging technologies have radically transformed human existence . . . Deft and clear-eyed.' Financial Times 'Azhar has a knack for interrogating and inverting conventional thinking . . . A convincing case that something extraordinary is taking place in business and society.' Economist 'Comprehensive but lively . . . An essential addition to the ongoing discourse about where remarkable new technologies can take us, and where we should be aiming to go. Highly recommended!' Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and author of Blitzscaling 'Azhar is unapologetically bullish about the power of technology . . . He speaks powerfully about how we need to shape technology to put it back in the service of society.' Guardian 'Read this book if you are interested in how we can design a more inclusive and sustainable system with a re-direction of technological change at its centre.' Mariana Mazzucato, UCL professor and author of The Value of Everything and Mission Economy 'A powerful argument . . . Azeem Azhar's writing is informative and accessible, and his prescient ideas are only going to become more important as time goes on.' Hannah Fry, BBC Radio 4 presenter and author of Hello World 'Azeem Azhar is one of the best-regarded thought leaders in the industry . . . He has a broad understanding of the ways technology can be used to solve our biggest problems, shape our society, and bridge cultural divides.' Daniel Ek, co-founder and CEO of Spotify 'Azeem Azhar is a globally recognised voice on technology and its impact. He has written a fascinating and important book, required reading for anyone seeking to understand the new economy and the massive global corporations that seek to dominate that economy.' Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts