The Coming Wave

THE COMING WAVE: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century’s Greatest Dilemma

by Mustafa Suleyman

We are about to experience a new wave of technology, centered on artificial intelligence and synthetic biology, that will hit faster and wider than all prior waves. In this book, Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, explains why this wave will be almost impossible to contain, why we can’t afford to leave it uncontained, and what we can realistically do about it.

In this summary, you’ll learn:

• How technology waves work, and why the coming wave of AI and synthetic biology cannot be contained.
• How AI, synthetic biology, and supporting technologies have progressed, and how 4 structural features and 5 interlinked forces make them impossible to predict, control, or stop.
• How the wave amplifies every kind of threat, erodes trust in nation-states, and reshapes power structures.
• How to combine 10 layered containment steps across technical, cultural, and political measures to shape the wave before it is fully upon us.

Who should read this:

• Leaders, policy-makers, and technologists who need to understand the risks and implications of AI and synthetic biology.
• Anyone who wants a clear overview of the risks, opportunities and socio-political impact of the latest technological advancements, and what can be realistically done about them.