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
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The New Breed summary
Kate Darling
What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots
19 mins
Table of Contents
The New Breed
Summary of 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
Future robots are likely to be closer to animals and pets than humans.
Are robots coming for our jobs? Is artificial intelligence one of humanity’s greatest threats? Certainly, there’s no shortage of panicked headlines designed to make us fret over this possibility. But this catastrophic reaction has a lot to do with our persistence in seeing robots as being strictly analogous to human beings.
There are good reasons why we tend to think this way, but in the end, it’s both a limited perspective on the benefits robotics can provide, and misleading as to what we should be concerned about. Make no mistake: there will be more robots in the future, but who says they’re going to look or act like humans?
The key message here is: Future robots are likely to be closer to animals and pets than humans.
Many of us grew up with science-fiction stories involving robots. More often than not, those robots had two arms and two legs, they talked like humans, and their superior strength and intelligence made them seem like a threat to humanity. So, in a way, we’ve been programmed to think they might take our jobs – whether as truck drivers, office workers, or supermarket clerks.
But so far, there’s little to suggest that the threat is so imminent. AI is nowhere near the level of the human mind. In fact, a human toddler is better at performing simple tasks such as identifying a glass of water or momentarily stopping a task to pick up something that fell on the floor.
Increased computer power is unlikely to resolve this issue. The human mind is simply too complex – too capable of contextualizing new information, switching tasks, and making appropriate decisions. But AI can act like a different kind of autonomous being. It can learn, it can react – albeit in ways that are different from humans, but perhaps not so different from animals.
Humans have always found ways to improve their lives through animal relationships. Oxen made it possible to transform agriculture on a mass scale. Horses and camels made long-distance transportation feasible. Dogs helped us hunt for food and became such beloved companions that we consider them family members.
These are the kinds of things that robots can already do, or are very close to doing. Instead of replacing human beings, they’re proving to be tools that can assist us and perhaps even improve our well-being. In the following blinks, we’ll look at how our relationships with animals can provide more insight into how we can integrate robots into our lives in the years ahead.
Want to see all full key ideas from The New Breed?
Key ideas in The New Breed
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The New Breed about?
The New Breed (2021) offers new insights into the ongoing debate surrounding robots and artificial intelligence. Instead of looking at robots as a human replacement or threat, the author sees a more accurate comparison in the long relationship we’ve had with autonomous animals, which have helped us feel better and get work done.
Best quote from The New Breed
Just like animals, robots dont need to be a one-to-one replacement for our jobs or relationships. Instead, robots can enable us to work and love in new ways.
—Kate Darling
Who should read The New Breed?
- Popular science enthusiasts
- Panicking futurists
- Technophobes
Categories with The New Breed
Books like The New Breed
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