Superintelligence Book Summary - Superintelligence Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

Superintelligence summary

Nick Bostrom

Paths, Dangers, Strategies

4.1 (511 ratings)
18 mins
Table of Contents

    Superintelligence
    Summary of 8 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 8

    History shows that superintelligence – a technology more intelligent than any human being – is fast approaching.

    What fundamentally sets us apart from the beasts of the field? Well, the main difference between human beings and animals is our capacity for abstract thinking paired with the ability to communicate and accumulate information. In essence, our superior intelligence propelled us to the top.

    So what would the emergence of a new species, intellectually superior to humans, mean for the world?

    First we’ll need to review a bit of history. For instance, did you know that the pace of major revolutions in technology has been increasing over time? For example, improving at the snail’s pace of a few hundred thousand years ago, human technology would have needed one million years to become economically productive enough to sustain the lives of an additional million people. This number dropped to two centuries during the Agricultural Revolution in 5,000 BC. And in our post-Industrial Revolution era it shrunk to a mere 90 minutes.

    A technological advancement like the advent of superintelligent machines would mean radical change for the world as we know it. But where does technology stand at present?

    We have already been able to create machines that have the capacity to learn and reason using information that’s been plugged in by humans. Consider, for example, the automated spam filters that keep our inboxes free from annoying mass emails and save important messages.

    However, this is far from the kind of “general intelligence” humans possess, and which has been the goal of AI research for decades. And when it comes to building a superintelligent machine that can learn and act without the guiding hand of a human, it may still be decades away. But advancements in the field are happening quickly, so it could be upon us faster than we think. Such a machine would have a lot of power over our lives. Its intelligence could even be dangerous, since it would be too smart for us to disable in the event of an emergency.

    Want to see all full key ideas from Superintelligence?

    Key ideas in Superintelligence

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is Superintelligence about?

    Superintelligence (2014) investigates how creating a machine more intelligent than a human would change humanity. These blinks are full of facts, figures and studies from a variety of disciplines, resulting in a complex picture of the superintelligent future and how we might arrive there.

    Best quote from Superintelligence

    The fact that there are many paths that lead to superintelligence should increase our confidence that we will eventually get there.

    —Nick Bostrom
    example alt text

    Who should read Superintelligence?

    • Anyone working in computer science, neuroscience, robotics or mathematics
    • Fans of science fiction or theories about the human apocalypse
    • People interested in the moral questions surrounding the creation of artificial life forms

    About the Author

    Nick Bostrom is a professor at Oxford University and the founding director of the Future of Humanity Institute. He has written over 200 publications, including Superintelligence, which earned a spot on the New York Times Best Seller list and was recommended by Bill Gates.

    Categories with Superintelligence

    Books like Superintelligence

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    28 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial