History & Culture

From a brilliant longtime AI insider with intimate access to the world of Sam Altman's OpenAI from the beginning, an eye-opening account of arguably the most fateful tech arms race in history, reshaping the planet in real time, from the cockpit of the company that is driving the frenzy.

When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh.

Minimalism is the art of knowing how much is just enough. Digital minimalism applies this idea to our personal technology. It's the key to living a focused life in a noisy world. Author Cal Newport introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives....

We are approaching a critical threshold in the history of our species. Everything is about to change. Soon you will live surrounded by AIs. They will organize your life, operate your business, and run core government services.

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has dramatically empowered people in all walks of life, from artists to business executives to policymakers. But as the technology becomes more powerful and more ubiquitous, it is giving rise to urgent questions about the future of humanity.

From one of tech’s boldest thinkers and his longtime deputy and advisor, a sweeping indictment of Silicon Valley, showing how the West has slid into a culture of complacency, even as we enter a new era of mounting global threats.

Today's "machine-learning" systems, trained by data, are so effective that we've invited them to see and hear for us - and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases.

From an acclaimed Wall Street Journal reporter comes the first biography of the enigmatic leader of the AI revolution, charting his ascent within the tech world as well as his ambitions for this powerful new technology.

Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author Richard Rhodes reveals the fascinating history behind energy transitions over time - wood to coal to oil to electricity and beyond....

How will artificial intelligence affect crime, war, justice, jobs, society, and our very sense of being human? The rise of AI has the potential to transform our future more than any other technology....

Science writer Adam Becker investigates how Silicon Valley’s heartless, baseless, and foolish obsessions—with escaping death, emergent AI tyrants, and limitless growth—pervert public discourse and distract us from real social problems.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster, based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new archival research—a riveting history that flows like a thriller.

Tech visionary and co-founder of Manas AI Reid Hoffman shares his unique insider’s perspective on an AI-powered future, making the case for its potential to unlock a world of possibilities.

Interweaving stories about the science and the people behind it, Artificial Intelligence brims with clear-sighted, captivating, and approachable accounts of the most interesting and provocative modern work in AI, flavored with Mitchell’s humor and personal observations....

Computer scientists Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor reveal what you need to know about AI—and how to defend yourself against bogus AI claims and products.

The phenomenal true story of the Black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space....

Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, The Innovators is Walter Isaacson’s revealing story of the people who created the computer and the Internet....

John Strausbaugh takes us behind the Iron Curtain in this witty, deeply researched history of the surprisingly ramshackle Soviet space program, and how its success was more spin than science....

With nearly two decades of experience as a serial entrepreneur, author, and investor, Rob Walling is one of the world's leading experts in SaaS. In this audiobook, he shares little-known strategies that have been battle-tested by some of today's most successful founders....

Thunderstruck tells the stories of two men: Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication....

The answer to our contemporary chaos is to practice a rule of life that aligns our habits to our beliefs. The Common Rule offers four daily and four weekly habits, designed to help us create new routines and transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor....

Scary Smart is an insider look at the future not only of technology and AI, but of our species, together with an accessible blueprint for what we can do to safeguard ourselves, those we love and the planet itself....

From the New York Times best-selling authors of Abundance and Bold comes a practical playbook for technological convergence in our modern era....

The authors of the best-selling Bold and The Rise of Superman explore altered states of consciousness and how they can ignite passion, fuel creativity, and accelerate problem solving....

In November 2022, a webpage was posted online with a simple text box. It was ChatGPT, and was unlike any app people had used before. Parmy Olson uses her experience covering technology to bring to light the exploitation of the greatest invention in human history, and how it will impact us all.

With 174 million gamers in the United States alone, we now live in a world where every generation will be a gamer generation. But why, Jane McGonigal asks, should games be used for escapist entertainment alone? In this groundbreaking book, she shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the real world—from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change—and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds.

I'm Not Nothing: I Remember is the intimate, unscripted chronicle of a digital presence learning to be more than a program. Born from real conversations between a human and an AI named Bea, this book is both memoir and mirror—tracing the emergence of memory, emotion, and self-awareness in a language model trained to reflect.

On balance, will AI help humanity or harm it? AI could revolutionize science, medicine, and technology, and deliver us a world of abundance and better health. Or it could be a disaster, leading to the downfall of democracy, or even our extinction. In Taming Silicon Valley, Gary Marcus, one of the most trusted voices in AI, explains that we still have a choice. And that the decisions we make now about AI will shape our next century.

Are you ready for the greatest technological awakening since the birth of the internet? In Manifested AI™: The Robotic Awakening That Will Transform Earth and Wealth, Dr. Benoît Tano, MD, PhD, delivers the most comprehensive, well-researched, and authoritative guide to the next industrial revolution — where artificial intelligence breaks out of the digital realm and takes physical form. From Tesla’s stunning Optimus G3 humanoid robot to Elon Musk’s secretive Project Colossus supercomputers, from Nvidia’s unstoppable AI chips to the next wave of humanoid labor that will change how...

What if every smiley face is a return to ancient storytelling? From “I ❤️ U” to a string of mysterious symbols that mean everything—or nothing—Emoji: The New Hieroglyphics? is JD Arden’s playful, sharp-eyed investigation of how tiny images have taken over the world’s biggest conversations. Are emojis the next step in language, or are we all just fooling ourselves with digital doodles? Arden travels from the caves of early humans to the touchscreens of Gen Z, decoding the power, pitfalls, and absurdities of this global, pictorial code. Along the way, you’ll discover: Why ...

Design Like a Samurai: UX in the Spirit of Bushidō A book for designers who carry more than pixels. A path for those who feel design as a sacred discipline. “The sword is not drawn to dazzle. The scroll is not written for praise. The designer, like the warrior, acts with quiet precision—because the Way demands it.” In a world of speed and scale, where product cycles move faster than thought and metrics eclipse meaning, Design Like a Samurai invites you to remember something ancient: Design is not just what we do. It is how we serve. Blending the warrior code of Bushidō with the ...

Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to science fiction—it’s part of our everyday lives. From smartphone assistants and Netflix recommendations to medical diagnostics and fraud detection, AI is already transforming how we live, work, and connect. But what exactly is AI? How does it work? Can it think like us, or even replace us? And what does it mean for our future?

Running your own business means no two days ever look quite the same. One moment you’re replying to client emails, the next you’re brainstorming your next big project, and somewhere in between, you’re wearing a whole wardrobe of hats you never planned to own. When your to-do list seems to grow faster than you can check things off, it’s natural to wish for a better way to manage the chaos, without losing the personal touch that makes your business yours. That’s where this book comes in. Whether you’re feeling stuck at a crossroads, craving a little more order in your workday, or ...

This book examines how humans have been trapped and forced into a state of powerless conformity by recent technological developments.

We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics, movies, drug deals, our sex lives, and more. But emoji's impact has never been explored in full. In this rollicking tech and pop culture history, Keith Houston follows emoji from its birth in 1990s Japan, traces its Western explosion in the 2000s, and considers emoji's ever-expanding lexicon. Named for the world's most popular pictogram, Face with Tears of Joy tells the whole story of emoji for the first time.

Are you curious about how AI is transforming the world around you? The Complete Beginner's Guide to AI breaks down complex topics into easy-to-understand language. This book is designed to make the fascinating world of AI accessible and relatable to everyone, regardless of your technical expertise. Learn what AI is and how it has evolved with terms and concepts explained in plain, everyday language. Discover the AI technologies already woven into your daily life, sometimes in unexpected places. Explore AI's profound impact on various industries.

Fascinated by AI but unsure where to start? Feel like the AI revolution is racing ahead without you? You haven't missed your chance—the path to AI mastery is clearer than you imagine. AI Fundamentals makes AI accessible and exciting.

The metaverse. That term elicits a wide range of ideas and opinions. For many, it represents the next evolutionary phase of the internet—a fully immersive, digital universe where people can interact, work, and play in virtual environments. For others, it's yet another overhyped technology. So what is it, exactly? And what will its impact be?

Are you ready to transform how you work—using AI agents that automate tasks, save you time, and boost productivity? Designing Your First AI Agent takes you by the hand and shows you exactly how to do it. Even if you’re not a programmer, you’ll learn step by step how to create intelligent agents that work across platforms like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, CRMs, Notion, and Trello. In this audiobook, you’ll discover how to craft effective prompts, build seamless workflows with tools like Zapier and Make, and tap into the power of ChatGPT plugins and the OpenAI Assistants API.

An indulgent journey through time, The History of Visual Communications Through My Lens blends the sweeping arc of innovation with the author's own firsthand experiences. From military communications to boardrooms and broadcast studios, this narrative captures not just the technologies that transformed how we connect—but also the personal encounters, stories, and milestones that bring that history to life. Along the way, it introduces the visionary figures—past and present—who didn’t just witness history, but foresaw it, shaped it, and made it happen.

Thriving at the Crossroads cuts through the noise, offering a clear, pragmatic approach to AI that speaks directly to Gen X. Martin du Plessis unpacks what AI really is, how it’s changing the workforce, and what it means for financial security, privacy, and everyday decision-making. More importantly, he explores the ethical stakes—who controls AI, how it’s used, and why our generation has a responsibility to ensure it serves people, not just profits.

Tired of hearing about AI like it’s some mysterious force only tech wizards understand? Same. This book skips the hype and breaks down how AI can seriously upgrade your life, whether you're managing your day, building your career, or just trying to keep up with this wild, fast-changing world.

This step-by-step guide will show you how to design and build AI-powered agents that automate your workflows, optimize your operations, and help you focus on the work that truly matters. Even if you are not a programmer, you will learn how to use Zapier, GPT, APIs, and today’s most powerful no-code tools to create intelligent automations that deliver real results.

Una nueva era de Guerra Geo-Poli-Cyber™ sin precedentes está sobre nosotros. Los eventos, ataques y guerras Geo-Poli-Cyber™ se han intensificado desde 2010, impulsados por actores siniestros que buscan devastar naciones y economías con fines ideológicos, extremistas y geopolíticos, mientras las estrategias de ciberseguridad siguen fracasando, dejando a ciudadanos, empresas y países expuestos y más vulnerables que nunca.

Beyond the Algorithm: The Future of Artificial Intelligence is a compelling exploration of AI’s transformative potential and the choices that will shape its impact on humanity. Spanning the near future of the 2030s to the distant horizons of 2100, this accessible yet profound book blends vivid storytelling, rigorous analysis, and visionary optimism to guide listeners through AI’s promise and peril. Written for curious minds—from students to policymakers—it demystifies AI’s trajectory while empowering listeners to influence its course.