The cybernetic society How humans and machines will shape the future together

Entrepreneur Husain (The Sentient Machine) paints a cautiously optimistic picture of an automated future in this accessible survey. Contending that cybernetics, or "the scientific study of control and communication in the animal and the machine," will have a profound impact on social, political, and economic affairs, he describes how "the human and the machine" are "fusing." For example, he notes that AI and automation use reflexive decision cycles and real-time data to interact with humans who use the resulting information to make decisions and create solutions, which are then fed back into the machines to train their models. His case studies include the "wondrous possibilities" afforded by Saudi Arabian megacity Neom; the successful integration of robotics into Amazon's warehouses and supply chain; Neuralink and other brain-computer interfaces currently under development, which raise serious unanswered questions about privacy and economic accessibility; and the "bone-chilling" autonomous drones and ground vehicles currently in use in Ukraine and Gaza. Husain gives equal weight to the pitfalls and benefits of autonomous technology, and his ability to interweave pop culture references and technical explanations helps keep the account from getting lost in the weeds. It's a solid lay of the land. Agent: Zoe Pagnamenta, Calligraph. (Aug.)

Humming cities and whirring drones: The future requires our attention. Standing at the edge of a promising (or threatening) AI revolution, Husain urges us to step boldly forward and imagine life inside a cybernetic world. An AI expert, author, and entrepreneur, Husain has founded multiple companies leveraging AI for military and civilian uses. In this accessible volume, he proposes a cybernetic-AI hybrid model for future worldbuilding. Husain reintroduces cybernetics, first developed in the 1950s as a theory of control and communication for machine and biological systems, now enhanced with artificial intelligence. Proposing Neom, a meticulously designed, hypermodern city under construction in Saudi Arabia, as an example of cybernetic urbanism, Husain envisions it as a model for companies, cities, and societies. Large, complex businesses like Amazon and Nvidia are already using AI in their workplaces, creating flat organizational structures and delegating many managerial tasks to AI. Husain sees human-AI collaborations having a democratizing effect by diffusing information and decision-making. These are enticing possibilities, extending the AI tools already embedded in our lives, in science and medicine. Husain acknowledges the darker side of AI used for war, citing current weapons deployed on battlefields in Ukraine and Gaza. But Husain ultimately sees these spilling over into peaceful civilian uses, with human, AI-augmented skills of empathy, creativity, and adaptability becoming more valuable. Notably, Husain's narrative sidesteps deeper questions of power, profit, and institutional inertia. Yet his optimism is grounded in the belief that cybernetic-AI hybrids could create less bureaucratic, more equitable systems. Whether this future can bridge the digital divide and serve the many remains uncertain--but it is a question worth serious thought. The included reading list adds depth and direction for those ready to explore further. Painting an optimistic, shimmering image of a world where AI operates in service to humankind. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.