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. "If you only read just one book about the AI revolution, make it this one" (John Mackey, cofounder and CEO, Whole Foods Market). 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. "Timely, highly informative, and certainly optimistic" (Booklist), The Fourth Age provides an essential background 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, changes in 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.

Look around. Clearly, we humans are radically different from the other creatures on this planet. But why? Where are the Bronze Age beavers? The Iron Age iguanas? In Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think, Byron Reese argues that we owe our special status to our ability to imagine the future and recall the past, escaping the perpetual present that all other living creatures are trapped in. Envisioning human history as the development of a societal superorganism he names Agora, Reese shows us how this escape enabled us to share knowledge on an unprecedented scale, and predict - and eventually master - the future. Thoughtful, witty, and compulsively readable, Reese unravels our history as an intelligent species in three acts: Act I: Ancient humans undergo "the awakening," developing the cognitive ability to mentally time-travel using language Act II: In 17th century France, the mathematical framework known as 'probability theory' is born - a science for seeing into the future that we used to build the modern world Act III: Beginning with the invention of the computer chip, humanity creates machines to gaze into the future with even more precision, overcoming the limits of our brains A fresh new look at the history and destiny of humanity, readers will come away from Stories, Dice, and Rocks that Think with a new understanding of what they are-not just another animal, but a creature with a mastery of time itself.

Discover the next stage of humanity's evolution--the age of artificial intelligence--in this fascinating, essential, and accessible exploration of the coming advances in robotics, computing, and associated technologies from the publisher of one of the most popular technology news websites in the world, Gigaom.com. We often talk about the rapid pace of change in our world, where every month seems to bring a startling technological advancement. While it's true that we are surrounded by new devices and innovations, cooler toys and fresher platforms, these are only tremors compared to the earthquake that is in our future. Futurist and tech maven Byron Reese explains that a number of disruptive technologies--each of which alone would be world-changing--are all converging at the same time in a perfect storm. We are building robots that can do human jobs. We are designing computers that might be capable of intelligence. We are likely on the cusp of creating a new life form: a conscious computer to which we could outsource our thinking minds, with a companion robot to perform the functions of our bodies. In captivating and clear language, Reese explores this imminent technological revolution and its species-changing implications. He helps us to understand what this brave new world can mean for us both practically and existentially, in the process arriving at a more complete definition of what it means to be human. The Fourth Age doesn't resort to the doomsday view of the future we often encounter in movies and fiction, but instead locates us at a great turning point in human history and provides you with the vocabulary and breadth of knowledge you need to be part of the debate about what kind of world we will soon inhabit.