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These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means

These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means

by Christopher Summerfield

Viking ·2025 ·384 pages
New Release
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Near the Top

59/99

Critics' Rating Index

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Top of the Pile

80/99

Scholars' Citation Index

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About This Book

An insider look at the Large Language Models (LLMs) that are revolutionizing our relationship to technology, exploring their surprising history, what they can and should do for us today, and where they will go in the future—from an AI pioneer and neuroscientist /b In this accessible, up-to-date, and authoritative examination of the world's most radical technology, neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield explores what it really takes to build a brain from scratch. We have entered a world in which disarmingly human-like chatbots, such as ChatGPT, Claude and Bard, appear to be able to talk and reason like us – and are beginning to transform everything we do. But can AI 'think', 'know' and 'understand'? What are its values? Whose biases is it perpetuating? Can it lie and if so, could we tell? Does their arrival threaten our very existence? These Strange New Minds charts the evolution of intelligent talking machines and provides us with the tools to understand how they work and how we can use them. Ultimately, armed with an understanding of AI's mysterious inner workings, we can begin to grapple with the existential question of our age: have we written ourselves out of history or is a technological utopia ahead?


Reviews

"Those unfamiliar with neuroscience or machine learning may find some sections challenging."

James Denselow· The New York Journal of Books Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Amongst the slate of AI-focused, pop-sci books hitting the shelves recently, this one does the best job of explaining for a lay reader how AI is structured and trained ..."

John Keogh· Booklist Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Compelling and insightful ..."

Susan McClellan· Library Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Engaging, if at times technical ..."

Will Oremus· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Near the Top

"In a crowded field of AI primers, this rises to the top."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"A clear-minded, accessible examination of how AI systems work."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Near the Top

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