Who's Afraid of AI? by Thomas Ramge

I finished this book in January 2026. I recommend this book 3/10.

Why you should read this book:

The book was written in 2018 to paint a picture of AI, where it started and where it is going. The book hasn't become obsolete in early 2026, but it doesn't offer much insight either.

Get your copy here.

🚀 The book in three sentences

1. Provides a history of AI since the 1940's

2. Not AI taking our jobs, but people using AI who take the jobs

3. People will be complacent — Governments might misuse information.

📝 My notes and thoughts

• P47. AI was started in the 1940's with the allies trying to predict ground-to-air artillery. AI accelerated in the 1950's and 1960's, but then took a break in the 1970's through 2010, simply because the technology was not capable until cloud computing became available.

• P61. AI evolved when the technology started to use "nodes" similar to how the human brain operates. There is an example of the complexity of the human brain when teaching a toddler what a horse is.

• P79. How AI will aid people, such as lawyers and doctors. The term: don't fear AI taking your job, fear a person using AI taking your job.

• P119. People will become complacent, like the humans in Wall-E. The biggest fear is that corporations and governments use and control.