True, the book is indeed about "future", so I of course accept that by definition there will be speculation. I'd be lying if I didn't find the book valuable.

True, the book is indeed about "future", so I of course accept that by definition there will be speculation. I'd be lying if I didn't find the book valuable. I think my gripe is about his not-so-strong solutions—but the author does admit upfront that he sees his role as a historian is to raise questions. So maybe my complaint was unfair :-) My memory is fading, but I appreciate the three "key questions" he asks to think about at the end of the book (transcribing looking at the physical copy near me): - Are organisms really just algorithms, and is life really just data processing? - What's more valuable—intelligence or consciousness? - What will happen to society, politics and daily life when non-conscious but highly intelligent algorithms know us better than we know ourselves?