The AI Con

The blizzard of excitement, misinformation and pure hype around AI has driven many of us to want an honest guide to both its promises and its limitations as well as its bizarre history. If, like me, you’re one of those many, you need to read this book. It’s clear, objective and comprehensible. It’s essential reading -- Brian Eno
A powerful antidote to the AI hype that dominates tech writing today. The authors show that the development of modern labour saving technologies is not neutral. Instead, these technologies will serve to deepen existing inequalities, and further 'enshittify' life and work for the vast majority of people -- Grace Blakeley, author of Vulture Capitalism
A must-read. Drs. Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender cut through the dizzying hype to provide the clearest picture yet of what AI is, what it is not, and why none of us need to accept it being shoved down our throats -- Timnit Gebru, Founder and Executive Director at The Distributed AI Research Institute
A book to inoculate your mind against Big Tech's AI utopian hype and the resulting dystopian dread -- Yanis Varoufakis
Artificial intelligence is going to reshape our economy and society. And we'd all better get used to it, right? Wrong, say the authors of this incredible book. This is a truly eye-opening book that will be an indispensable 'field manual' for those who want to fight for a more humane economy and a better society -- Ha-Joon Chang, author of Economics: The User's Guide and Edible Economics
The AI Con takes the thunder out of the dark cloud in our technological future. I am so grateful for the reality check, in Emily’s and Alex’s inimitable style. A must-read for those who don’t want to believe the hype -- Aleks Krotoski, presenter of The Digital Human
A fascinating and thought-provoking analysis of one of the most charged debates in the world -- Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus
Bender and Hanna write with absolute authority and incredible wit and verve. Come for the piercing observations; leave with the tools to slice your way through the absurdist narratives that prop up the AI industry and to hold it accountable -- Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI
A powerful and timely deep dive into what the AI hype cycle is REALLY about, why it's bound to crash, and what we can all do to protect ourselves from it. An absolute must-read! -- Karla Ortiz, artist and artist activist
With irreverence and razor-sharp analysis, Bender and Hanna show how tech giants are using AI as a cover for their real agenda. This isn’t just about debunking myths – it’s about reclaiming control over the future -- Ruha Benjamin, author of Viral Justice
Required reading for anyone who wants to survive the twenty-first century -- Charlie Jane Anders, author of Victories Greater Than Death
Compelling * New Scientist *
Refreshingly sarcastic… [and] persuasively argue[d] * Guardian *
A well-reasoned and timely corrective to much of the AI hype, proposing concrete solutions to mitigate the genuine problems posed by the technology … Compelling * Money Week *