Thinking With Machines: The Brave New World of AI

Thinking with Machines: The Brave New World of AI is the story of artificial intelligence from its origins to today, told from the perspective of Vasant Dhar, one of the first researchers, practitioners, and teachers of this pivotal technology. With over forty years of experience in the field, Dhar recounts what brought us here and offers evidence-driven insights that will help individuals, businesses, and society navigate the brave new world of AI.

Thinking with Machines eschews easy answers. It poses critical questions that need to be asked, such as:

• When should we trust it?
• Could AI divide humanity into those who benefit from it and those who are harmed by it, and what should we do about this?
• Is AI going to outsmart us all from its ability to learn autonomously and assume control?
• What kinds of laws do we need to govern AI before it governs us?

Thinking with Machines tackles pressing issues such as the future of work, public health, and decision-making and asks us, in each case, how much should we abdicate to the machine?

The book is written for everyone. Novices to AI will find an annotated story from an insider who has lived through its various paradigm shifts. For AI insiders, leaders, and policy-makers, Thinking with Machines formulates the urgent questions of today and teaches us all how to think about the answers.

Praise for THINKING WITH MACHINES

“Clear, urgent, and deeply human. Dhar’s personal journey through AI makes Thinking with Machines feel less like science fiction and more like a mirror―helping us reflect on trust, resilience, and what it means to stay grounded in a world racing ahead.”
―DAVID KO, CEO, Calm

“At last, a book by one of the world’s leading AI researchers and practitioners that is both cutting edge and easy-to-read. Part history of the field, part handbook for the non-expert, part AI governance manifesto, and part author’s life journey, Thinking with Machines is indispensable reading for professionals, policymakers, and concerned citizens grappling with the paradigm shift of our times.”
―PAUL SHEARD, Economist and Author of The Power of Money

“In a world of wannabe AI experts, Vasant Dhar shines as someone who has played the long game, through successive AI hype cycles and winters. In this remarkable book, he provides a calm and reasoned way for us to decipher the world of AI and a playbook for dealing with the most important innovation of our time.”
―NANDAN NILEKANI, Co-Founder and Chairman, Infosys, and Founding Chairman, UIDAI (Aadhaar)

“In a world filled with AI experts who alternate between relentless hype and imminent doom, Vasant stands out as someone who sees shades of gray in this debate, and has the expertise and good sense to gauge AI’s strengths and limits. I strongly recommend his new book, Thinking with Machines, to everyone who is involved or interested in how AI will change the way we live and work, as I think it will.”
―ASWATH DAMODARAN, New York University Professor and Valuation Guru

“Vasant Dhar has a unique perspective: building trading algorithms that compound tiny edges into fortunes, then watching AI evolve from narrow applications to a general-purpose technology. In Thinking with Machines, he reveals when to trust algorithms, when to stay skeptical, and how to govern AI before it governs us. A must-read for our AI-powered future.”
―ERIK BRYNJOLFSSON, Professor at Stanford University and Co-Founder of Workhelix, Inc.