| Title | : | Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 9390356431 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9789390356430 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 520 |
| Publication | : | First published January 10, 2021 |
Whether you are a social media fanatic, a diehard AI aficionado, or a paranoid sceptic, it is impossible to escape the ubiquitous impact of AI.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds Reviews
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I am a data scientist and working in this domain for the last 8 years. I have solved many data problems in past and I still do that. But the hard part of our job is, it removes manual labor which was there earlier. I mean every AI project we implement, we reduce our manual labor. Yes, that's true, it is a harsh reality. Those who are listening about the boom in automobile sales in the last 3 months but same time job cuts in that domain, were shocked by this contrasting behavior. My answer to those shocked individuals is AI, it's robot-driven manufacturing that is taking more space from human labor.
Through the book "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds" the author Rajiv Malhotra has provided a basic understanding of AI and how it is affected our day-to-day life. His message is clear AI revolution is going on, we already gave our consent, it's just a matter of when not how. Even if you stay away from smart mobile, you use smart TV, fridges, AC, Home devices, all such things capture your unique signature. Leave all smart devices, you may not be aware that even by recording your driving sample I can make your unique signature. Somehow statistics fits everywhere in your routing as well as your life.
Apart from personal life, the author has also given how as an economy and country we are lagging. India was and is an IT hub, but we were so busy counting BPO income that we forgot to check innovative solutions. We seldom invested in R&D. The results are in front of us, though China is still lagging in the IT industry, they dominate the Data domain and giving tough fights to the USA. Rajiv has mentioned India need a total revolution in thought process, from politician to businessmen to data engineers to the common man.
A wonderful book even for non-data science background people. Regarding content, you can read the blurb or review of other reviewers I have given my take and added my experience with this review.
I will give 4.5 out of 5 to this book. -
Rajiv ji is “way ahead of his time” in understanding, thinking and analyzing the society and upholding the implications of it being the way it is now.
The topic of AI always goes unnoticed by and large in the society. What AI is, what all come under its banner are something very basic as well as quite misunderstood in India, let alone the knowledge of how it is impacting and how it will shape our society. But at last someone had the guts to write in a language easily understood by common men.
The book has 2 parts. In the first, the topics include details & overview of AI and its fast rising impact on humankind around the world, affect on geopolitics, loss of jobs etc.
The 2nd part of the book deals in details about where India stands currently, what all mistakes the Govt. is making and how AI will be for India. And the picture is quite grim and sad. Rajiv ji doesn’t mince his words while pointing out the repercussions, when all eminent politicians and think tanks jump up in joy with each and every FDI and investment by any foreign tech company in India.
Having a nationalist Govt. is good but whether the leaders have basic knowledge of AI or at least the guts and humility to listen to SMEs are something which are quite shocking and which we get to know while reading this book.
The current state of the country in the grip of AI is quit sad (we just don’t know about it and are living in a happy bubble) and also the future looks quite grim too if we & the Govt continue to keep ignoring our current state and don’t buckle up. Having said all these, readers shouldn’t treat this book as negative. Unless we know our flaws we can’t correct ourselves!
This book is not for everyone to understand but none the less should be read by all. -
In a world full of tech buzzwords, the most common being AI, this book by Shri Rajiv Malhotra brings a fresh perspective and a solid reality check to the reader. From my personal experience working as a researcher (in the policy space), every proposed solution by key decision makers to address glaring problems (of burgeoning population to wide income divide to poor quality of childhood education et al) lies in deep tech like AI, ML, and Big Data. Sadly, the understanding we carry of AI and related technology is superficial, inadequate, and disconnected with India’s reality. We are lauding bright young minds who land in creamy jobs with US tech giants. We are rampantly importing technology without giving a second thought about its ramifications. We are not addressing problems, rather inviting a score more. This book unveils the other side of AI, the slightly more difficult to deal side of AI. Rajiv sir’s in-depth research on AI and its multifold implications have come out fluidly in the book. The five battlegrounds, five key areas which will come into conflict have been beautifully crafted and lucidly explained. This book passes the quintessential Mom Test, that is, a lay reader with little or no understanding of the subject matter can very well fathom AI’s penetration into the human mind, psyche, consciousness, and agency. This book, like Rajiv sir’s all other books is a clarion call for us all. A must read and a perfect gift as we spring ahead into this decade! (5/5)
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Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm. It’s the in-thing and a necessity in today’s world. Whether we know it or not, like it or not, AI is here to stay. But what does it mean to the common public?
We know what AI is capable of in the industries. But is the same automation a boon in our lives? How does it affect our future generations? What about data privacy? What about letting a system take control over your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and every aspect of your life? What does it mean to third-world countries? Is India in a position to set terms, or are we destined to be enslaved by the global leaders again, albeit in the name of technology and digital colonization?
The latest release, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds by Rajiv Malhotra, discusses these topics and much more.
The book has been divided into five categories-
• AI and Economic Development and Jobs (unemployment due to AI is not a myth or a distant reality)
• AI and Global Power (How the US and China are fighting for domination)
• AI and Psychological Control and Agency (Surveillance capitalism, Data Rights, and Moronization of the masses)
• AI and Metaphysics (Algorithm vs. the Being)
• AI and India’s Future (right now, there is very little to cheer about)
What about India's future? We are, sadly, at the bottom of the table. All our so-called knowledge and intellect have gone into building data systems for other countries. Our data is bartered to import AI technology that could have been developed within the country.
The author doesn’t shy away from calling a spade and spade and pointing out that the politicians, in their usual political games and appeasement, refused to even consider AI as a game-changer, let alone a threat to the nation. The author points out how our laws are outdated and ineffective when it comes to protecting data.
Overall, this book is informative and terrifying. That makes a must-read, even though it might give you sleepless nights. A small consolation is that the author says he is working on the next book, where he provides solutions to the problems listed in this one. I hope it comes out soon and the people who make decisions read and understand it.
*****
This review has been posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club hosted by the Indic Book Club and Indic Academy. Thank you, Indic Book Club, for a copy of the book.
*****
Read the full review here -
My Brief introduction.
I am a middle aged Physics faculty in Chennai, India. I teach & guide young students of high school who aspire to prepare for competitive exams of JEE & NEET. Many of my students are in prestigious institutes like IITs, IISc, Centrally funded Medical Colleges in India.
I have followed Rajivji’s talks on social media Youtube since the time he started talking about BI. His original thinking, dedication, vision has always impressed me. AI & the future of power is the first book of his that I am currently reading. Having read large parts of the book I must say it ignites and invokes a lot of thought.
This book can achieve one of two things. As intended by Rajivji, it could wake up and shake up those that matter for the future of our country. It could spring them up towards action. Then the book achieves its intended purpose. On the other hand it could, the sad side, be a ticking bomb in waiting for significant people to not take action inspite of the alarm that has been rung. The TITANIC metaphor of the book. We as a country could wait to implode under the heavy weight of the Foreign Tech Giants who may come hard at us when we don’t do anything much about the storm that is forming.
It's a real eye opener and I think anyone who seriously reads this book just can't ignore it and can’t afford to ignore it. And to be honest I have little knowledge about AI. Having a background in Engineering from IIT Madras, and currently teaching Physics helped me grasp things that Rajivji has written about in this book. Although I still have no much clue about the technicalities and coding related aspects of AI. But AI isn’t just about computer science and coding. There’s a whole lot more of ecosystem surrounding it and there are many people who stand to gain a lot by reading this book. Highly recommend to read. -
As usual another ground-breaking work on "Breaking India 2.0". Author shows the new model 'kurukshetra' with five arenas. The coming of AI is inevitable, but how nations can protect their citizen's data and sovereignty of the country that is becoming crucial day by day.
AI, IoT, NLP, ML etc. will be gradually shifting individuality of human toward a state of "philosophical moron (P-moron)". It seems world will be soon ruled only by FAANGT (facebook, amazon, apple, netflix, google and twitter) because they are owner of 'new oil' called data.
However, the book has only shown power of enemies, but does not show how to resist and "reversing the gaze". We may expect a sequel from the author soon. -
If you have read - The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, then this book is just that, but, not in great detail. Its an accessible approach and a good read. The book as a whole is interesting and engaging, if I wouldn't have read the book mentioned above, then I would've rated this book a strong 4 stars. But then, if you have read - The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, this book would be an okayish read.
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Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds by Rajiv Malhotra is a book where the author shows the giant strides AI and other emerging technologies are making, the multiplier effect these techs have on how we engage with our environment and these technologies every second of the day. Armed with the basic idea on how we consume the new-age tech and the data we create in turn for the AI and its brethren, the author then raises some very pertinent questions on data protection, power wielded by few tech giants, muscle-flexing this power gives to nations like the USA and China, the vulnerability and threat it exposes the common citizens of the world in general and India in particular to.
In his arguments about the need for a strategic vision by our government, policy-makers, think-tanks, technocrats in the space of technology and data-security, the author gives numerous examples of how AI is changing and shaping the world around us. We do not need to agree with everything the author says, we can even trash the book in total as sensationalism and fearmongering if we like. But, if we read it with an open mind and just try to relate some of the events that we have seen unfolding before our eyes in the last few years, for example, the narrative around the pandemic, the bullying of global pharma giants to derail the Indian vaccine program, the deplatforming of the ex-president of the USA from social media, etc., it would be enough to take at least one point the author has made very seriously. And that is the need to have an open and informed discussion on the power of AI and emerging technologies; and a strong data protection law to safeguard our national and social interest. -
This was a useful, hard-nosed, facty book. I can't say it's my usual topic of interest, but the author knows his stuff and doesn't pad the pages with fluff, and I so appreciate that in a non-fiction writer.
I came away with a much better sense of why AI matters and what it actually is (not robots, but big data algorithms that can teach themselves to model and predict and outsmart just about anything in the real world. Think Facebook and Google and how much they're able to deduce about your inner life. Or Goodreads, for that matter.)
Especially interesting was that the author was writing for an Indian audience, and the last quarter of the book focused on geopolitical implications of AI for India. The prognosis: not good, since the US and China between them have raced to attain a near-monopoly on the brand-name digital platforms that currently farm data on other countries' citizens worldwide, with all the economic and military advantages that go along with that. (Don't suppose for a minute that the Cambridge Analytica scenario was a flash in the pan).
For India to 'catch up', its leaders would have to bar American and Chinese platforms, quickly build up domestic production of digital hardware, and create a favourable economic climate for software talent in India rather than continuing to export labour and intellectual capital to the rest of the world. And if India will have a hard time holding its own against the AI superpowers, what about the rest of the world?
There are large parts of his argument I don't buy, mostly because I don't think digital technology has much of a future beyond this century. Those who talk about bionic superhumans and quantum computing almost never bother to mention where we're going to find the fuel to build and maintain all this stuff as conventional oil production winds down. But for immediate practical purposes over the next several decades, I was persuaded by this book that AI will have a significant effect on world events and is worth paying attention to. -
The advent of Artificial Intelligence has definitely augmented the way humans work. Not only have the machines become smarter but also more dependable. But the debate on how will AI shape our future still continues to invite opinions and counter-arguments. Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power is an earnest attempt to decipher how prepared the common people are to allow AI to take over their lives without knowing the actual impact it would make. Dependent and unaware, Indians rely on their leaders to tackle the complicated matters. Hence, their unawareness about the development in technology and its life-changing impact is making it all the more difficult for them to come to grips with the changes that await them.
Read the complete review here:
https://www.aliveshadow.com/book-revi... -
https://www.riflerangeboy.com/2021/05... -
This book primarily takes a contrarian stance on AI and its applications to India. Rajiv certainly puts forth many compelling and eye opening arguments throughout the book.
The reason I give this book a mediocre rating is due to the repetitiveness of stating the same arguments in different forms throughout, while primarily referencing secondary or tertiary sources; I would go so far to say that his economic arguments are weak as he primarily references PwCs report on AI and makes somewhat fallacious arguments that have been otherwise refuted in the vast literature of international economics, development economics, and behavioral economics.
After reading breaking india and listening to his podcasts directly relating to subjects pertaining to AI, I really wanted to like this book, but am taken aback from the use of cringeworthy sources like BBC, qz, and ndtv, but I suppose I shouldn't have had high expectations to begin with since he did the same thing in breaking india by citing Wikipedia numerous times.
All in all it was a great effort to take a contrarian stance on a subject that hasn't been debated much (in which he does make some very compelling arguments, and that too in terms of national security), but he falls short with his references to back many of his claims and ought to have done more research in creating stronger arguments (especially the ones pertaining to economic theory). -
A good introduction to Artificial Intelligence and its implications for the future of India and the world
https://www.anuradhagoyal.com/artific... -
Book Title: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power
Author: Rajiv Malhotra
Format: Kindle
About the book:
This book, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power, by the internationally acclaimed author, Rajiv Malhotra, is about the importance and effects of artificial intelligence in India and its future as a nation. Rajiv Malhotra has interesting insights as a person who has studied computer science and done extensive research on India's history. It makes important revelations on how the advent of artificial intelligence will alter every aspect of our lives, from an international, to national to a personal level.
My Thoughts:
According to the factual history and many sources from offline and online, since the first century BCE, humans have been intrigued by the possibility of creating machines that mimic the human brain. In modern times, the term artificial intelligence was coined in 1955 by John McCarthy. Today, the amount of data generated by humans and machines far outpaces humans' ability to absorb, interpret, and make complex decisions based on that data. Artificial intelligence forms the basis for all computer learning and is the future of all complex decision making.
AI is a computer science branch that deals with creating computers or machines as intelligent as human beings. It refers to the machines' ability to perform human intelligence processes like thinking, perceiving, learning, problem-solving and decision making. Thus in simple terms, Artificial Intelligence is the intelligence showed by machines.
In this book, the author explains the conflict between the actual being and the algorithms. He, however, tries to explain,' most of India's leaders, public intellectuals, media personalities, policymakers, think tanks and authors are "ignoring the dangers" that lie ahead, "living securely in their comfort zones with like-minded peers". This could potentially be very dangerous to the nation. This massive 520 pages book, divided into two parts, focused on how India is a battleground with technically sound intelligence being masked psychologically by ridiculing that every aspect being already explained in Yogic science or the Vedic science.
The topics discussed in the book may not please many people or the hard rooted believers, but the effect of AI in their lives is put away appallingly. Unfortunately, many elite people in power also mislead the public. There is so much we have to learn from fellow countries that are advanced in every aspect.
Rating:
5/5 -
My Rating : 4 Stars
1. Pros :
• The Books is well structured with the first 5 chapters dealing with AI and it's relevance to and impact on employment ,global politics ,individual autonomy and the notion of self hood .
While the observations and insights above are applicable to multiple countries ,the latter half of the book shifts the focus exclusively to Bharat .It neatly covers the risks we run of growing technologically dependent , being colonized once more (digitally this time . By either US or China ) & how vulnerable we are to insidious influences The conclusions expounded in chapters 'Stress Testing India ' and 'How Robust is the Rashtra' are sobering and should act as an urgent wake up call to one and all who are concerned in safe guarding the sovereignty and interests of our society.
•The 'Chapter Highlights ' that precedes each chapter provides a crisp and concise overview of what the reader can expect to learn about .It is plainly presented and is easy to grasp without any extraneous jargon .
•A good flow chart (or any visual aid ) can neatly convey the message without the need for dense text .The The book is littered with multiple such flow charts although there are some average ones as well.Still the former are far more frequent than the latter .One stellar one that comes to mind is on pg 162 (Moronization or Infantalization of the masses ) . Another pertaining to China's Ambitions to Global Dominance ( pg 136 ) .The reader can easily grasp the information (and subsequent implications ).
2.Cons :
Certain passages and paragraphs can feel more long winded than necessary
A succinct sentence or two would suffice when instead the same point is repeatedly stressed over and over :just in different language .I understand the importance in driving a point home but it can get tedious after a while.
This occurs at regular intervals but particularly when reading Chapter 5 : The Battle for Self .Then again the chapter maybe a little too meta physical /abstract for my taste given that I'm not overly fond of the Vedanta Philosophy .
A more exhaustive review is enclosed below .
http://eclecticbutterfree.home.blog/2... -
Rajiv Malhotra, in this book of his, has done a great favour for the contemporary population. May it be the masses or the bosses, the industry shakers or policy makers, everyone should read this book, so as to take a more informed and holistically inclusive decision.
The book starts with explaining the battlegrounds where AI has set its field and concludes by explaining the purpose that this book, in itself may serve. Also, the text begins from a quote from the Ramayana and this contrast presented in the presentation of a very recent occurance of human life through the eyes of the very ancient once, is sure to keep the readers binded. Thereafter, under various sub-heads, minute details related to AI have been discussed. Its impact on human behaviour, human psychology, modern warfare and its preparation, national policies and interactions and chinese actions for hegemony, all have found a clarity that is bound to impress an observiant mind.
The segment of self awareness, in which the aspects of AI where it does not forget and its latest decision is a sure shot outcome of the commulation of all of its previous decisions, is influenced more by the AI because it keeps track of most of our actions and choices. As per the Johari model, this final segment where those aspects of the self lie which neither the society nor the individual is aware of, is not only observed by AI but also influenced effectively, calls for judicious restrictions and preparations.
So the new-age nationalists must take a pledge to go through this book to better understand the dynamics of their populace and to substantially cater to the needs of the Indian Rashtra. Not only them, but the people of all ideologies need to trun a few pages of this book to understand where their stands, actually stand in the current scenario.
