1) I've read the first two books of the three mentioned. Oddly, the article's title applies only to the first book, in which Markoff elaborates on IA (intellig

1) I've read the first two books of the three mentioned. Oddly, the article's title applies only to the first book, in which Markoff elaborates on IA (intelligence augmentation) as a second front in the rise of computer automation (along with AI). Domingo's book never strays outside mainstream AI, and it seems nor does the third. 2) On a more generic note regarding the direction of AI... I think there's little doubt where AI will take us -- toward a future which is more predictable. The goal of AI is to recognize patterns and predict outcomes. Toward that end, AI and its integrators will gradually reshape business and law to make AI's job easier and more accurate. This will result in our lives becoming more conventional, predictable, and 'managed' by both business and government. Imagine a future lifestyle that's more like the clockwork of Sweden's or Japan's or Switzerland's than the Sturm und Drang that is America's. I suspect a world shaped by AI will be less likely to resemble 'The Terminator' than it will 'The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit'.