Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Books AI

Bill Gates Recommends Four Books That 'Make Sense of the World' (gatesnotes.com) 130

This month Bill Gates recommended four books about making sense of the world, including The Coming Wave, by Mustafa Suleyman. Gates calls it "the book I recommend more than any other on AI — to heads of state, business leaders, and anyone else who asks — because it offers something rare: a clear-eyed view of both the extraordinary opportunities and genuine risks ahead." After helping build DeepMind from a small startup into one of the most important AI companies of the past decade, [Suleyman] went on to found Inflection AI and now leads Microsoft's AI division. But what makes this book special isn't just Mustafa's firsthand experience — it's his deep understanding of scientific history and how technological revolutions unfold. He's a serious intellectual who can draw meaningful parallels across centuries of scientific advancement. Most of the coverage of The Coming Wave has focused on what it has to say about artificial intelligence — which makes sense, given that it's one of the most important books on AI ever written. And there is probably no one as qualified as Mustafa to write it...

But what sets his book apart from others is Mustafa's insight that AI is only one part of an unprecedented convergence of scientific breakthroughs. Gene editing, DNA synthesis, and other advances in biotechnology are racing forward in parallel. As the title suggests, these changes are building like a wave far out at sea — invisible to many but gathering force. Each would be game-changing on its own; together, they're poised to reshape every aspect of society... [P]rogress is already accelerating as costs plummet and computing power grows. Then there are the incentives for profit and power that are driving development. Countries compete with countries, companies compete with companies, and individuals compete for glory and leadership. These forces make technological advancement essentially unstoppable — and they also make it harder to control...

How do we limit the dangers of these technologies while harnessing their benefits? This is the question at the heart of The Coming Wave, because containment is foundational to everything else. Without it, the risks of AI and biotechnology become even more acute. By solving for it first, we create the stability and trust needed to tackle everything else... [Suleyman] lays out an agenda that's appropriately ambitious for the scale of the challenge — ranging from technical solutions (like building an emergency off switch for AI systems) to sweeping institutional changes, including new global treaties, modernized regulatory frameworks, and historic cooperation among governments, companies, and scientists...

In an accompanying Christmas-themed video, Gates adds that "Of all the books on AI, that's the one I recommend the most."

Gates also recommends The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, saying it "made me reflect on how much of my younger years — which were often spent running around outside without parental supervision, sometimes getting into trouble — helped shape who I am today. Haidt explains how the shift from play-based childhoods to phone-based childhoods is transforming how kids develop and process emotions." (In the video Gates describes it as "kind of a scary book, but very convincing. [Haidt] writes about the rise of mental illness, and anxiety in children. He, unlike some books, actually has some prescriptions, like kids not using phones until much later, parenting style differences. I think it's a super-important book.")

Gates goes into the book's thesis in a longer blog post: that "we're actually facing two distinct crises: digital under-parenting (giving kids unlimited and unsupervised access to devices and social media) and real-world over-parenting (protecting kids from every possible harm in the real world). The result is young people who are suffering from addiction-like behaviors — and suffering, period — while struggling to handle challenges and setbacks that are part of everyday life." [Haidt] makes a strong case for better age verification on social media platforms and delaying smartphone access until kids are older. Literally and figuratively, he argues, we also need to rebuild the infrastructure of childhood itself — from creating more engaging playgrounds that encourage reasonable risk-taking, to establishing phone-free zones in schools, to helping young people rediscover the joy of in-person interaction.
Gates also recommends Engineering in Plain Sight, by Grady Hillhouse, a book which he says "encourages curiosity." ("Hillhouse takes all of the mysterious structures we see every day, from cable boxes to transformers to cell phone towers, and explains what they are and how they work. It's the kind of read that will reward your curiosity and answer questions you didn't even know you had.")

And finally, Gates recommends an autobiography by 81-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning historian/biographer/former sports journalist Doris Kearns Goodwin, who assesses the impact of President Lyndon Johnson's policies in a surprising "personal history of the 1960s."

Bill Gates Recommends Four Books That 'Make Sense of the World'

Comments Filter:
  • by JamesTRexx ( 675890 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @07:46AM (#65016437) Journal

    If you really want to make sense of the world, read about human psychology.

    Besides that, I ignore people like Gates.

    • by fluffernutter ( 1411889 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @07:58AM (#65016451)
      I noticed there were no books about how the immensely wealthy keep getting a bigger piece of the pie and how this basically allows them to shape our lives, with no hope of having any real power yourself unless you are very, very lucky. I guess Gates already understands that part.
    • by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @08:28AM (#65016509)

      If you really want to make sense of the world, read about human psychology.

      Besides that, I ignore people like Gates.

      The list makes no sense regardless. One of the worlds wealthiest humans, holds the latest sales gimmick as the centerpiece of a handful of books that make “sense” of our (for-profit) world? Sounds just a bit too convenient there, Bill.

      Tell me what his list was 5 years ago. Then tell me why it’s so unfashionable by comparison.

      • His list from 5 years ago: “An American Marriage,”
        “These Truths,”
        “Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities,”
        “Prepared: What Kids Need for a Fulfilled Life,”
        “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dream,”

        It's a decent list, and he reviews as a thoughtful person. Which makes him at least as good as the New York Times. Generally I like things explained in more technical detail, but I understand most people don't. https://www.cnbc.co [cnbc.com]
    • by RobinH ( 124750 )
      You didn't see the second book on the list?
      • by thoper ( 838719 )
        of couse he did not,. While it's healthy to think critically and not accept a single person's views without examination, completely ignoring the perspectives of successful and experienced individuals like Gates is.... stupid. truly understanding human psychology implies studying and trying to understand different perspectives, not dismissing them outright. my guess is that he does not trust Gates motivations or honesty. because ObioUsLy rich people can not have the good interest oh humanity in mind.
  • by Gavino ( 560149 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @07:59AM (#65016455)
    entitled, "How to Bang Young Girls on an Island, and Get Away With it!", as well as "Monopolistic Practices 101: Trading Ethics for Profit!"
  • No more calls for censorship to "save the children". Their small, fragile minds must only contain the information that you want to put into them, or they might grow up to have thoughts. This is a truly ugly concept. Not thoughts! Noooooo!

  • Jay M. Feinman? (Score:3, Informative)

    by xpiotr ( 521809 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @08:05AM (#65016469) Homepage
    Is this one on the list?
    “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” by Jay M. Feinman.
    If not, he can take his 640kBooks and defrag them.
  • thanks to the unsustainable greed of Bill Gates and the upper class, the rest of us are in the lower class now

    it cannot be capitalism when 85% of all our capital is being hoarded by an irresponsible upper class, that only leaves 15% of all capital for the rest of us to manage with, it's not enough

    and these selfish people aren't letting up either

    • it cannot be capitalism when 85% of all our capital is being hoarded

      That is exactly what it is.

      Capitalism means "capital controls the means of production" and nothing else.

      • Not that I disagree with you in principle, but you do realize that's a bit of a tautology, right?

        "Captial" here is being defined by being the "ownership class". So if you define a group by owning the means of production, then say "hey look, they own the means of production" it's kinda... duh?

        A more cohesive theory needs to understand why someone is a member of the group that owns everything, and why someone else isn't.

      • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

        That is exactly what it is.

        Capitalism means "capital controls the means of production" and nothing else.

        it's a noun that means:

        1. An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development occurs through the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.

        2. An economic system based on predominantly private (individual or corporate) investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of goods and wealth; contrasted with socialism or especially communism, in which the state has the predominant role in

        • hahahahahahhahahahahaha

          AHED is fun, they have good notes on etymology, but that is NOT what capitalism means.

          You also don't know how dictionaries work. ANY of those things can be what people mean when they say capitalism. It doesn't have to be all of them.

          But followup, some of those people are wrong. For example, when people think that capitalism means there is a free market, they are demonstrating that they are brain damaged, since there never has been a perfectly free market. There never can be, because a

          • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

            which is the same reason this is not really capitalism, because some people have seized all the capital

            without adequate capitalization, the system is classist and explorative, this is effectively economic slavery

            • "which is the same reason this is not really capitalism, because some people have seized all the capital"

              That is the natural operation of capital and therefore capitalism. Capital accrues capital. It's only when you have substantial intervention that this is not true. Ironically, in order to have the freest market possible, you must have controls to prevent this natural occurrence.

              • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

                there's nothing natural about greed or hoarding, we never see greedy animals or animals hoarding far more than they need

                all I see is unethical abusive people desperate to justify themselves when they really know deep down they can't

                it's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the gates of heaven

                • there's nothing natural about greed or hoarding

                  There's nothing natural about currency. Greed and hoarding are based on fear, which is natural.

                  all I see is unethical abusive people desperate to justify themselves when they really know deep down they can't

                  They're desperate to fill the hole. It doesn't matter that they can't. Their attempts will have the same effects as their success would.

                  it's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the gates of heaven

                  Heaven is a myth and a camel can get through the eye of the needle by being slaughtered and packed for retail sale.

                  • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

                    more denial, try operating any kind of modern economy without some form of currency, and no, greed isn't normal or natural, but you can claim it is all you want

                    what I see is selfishness and irresponsibility, and from you, i see trolling

                     

          • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

            go ahead argue with a dictionary definition, that speaks volumes about you ... that you're a classist person

    • It does seem like the uber rich could pay their employees a little more, or provide decent benefits instead of buying up planes, mansions, and yachts.
      • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

        it's not just fair pay either, it's fair prices, not corrupting our governments, public institutions and private markets, not to mention all the environmental degradation and human rights abuses

      • Then I guess that Elmer Fudd was wrong when he claimed to be rich [wikipedia.org] because he owned a mansion and a yacht. By your standards, he couldn't be because he didn't own a plane.
    • How is it not capitalism? They have the capital, so we do what they want.

      I wonder if peasants used to complain that clearly they arenâ(TM)t living under True Monarchism, because they are not the king.

    • by garett_spencley ( 193892 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @09:51AM (#65016685) Journal

      it cannot be capitalism when 85% of all our capital is being hoarded by an irresponsible upper class

      Loaded language aside ("hoard"), these types of statistics are universally true of all businesses and industries.

      Even if you look at something as trivial as OnlyFans, as an example, according to OF itself the top 1% of creators account for 33% of the total platform's earnings. Source: https://social-rise.com/blog/onlyfans-statistics

      I know that a lot of people like to call Google a "monopoly", and I don't care to nit-pick over definitions, but in the search engine market you see 90% of search traffic in the hands of a single company that dominated that market. Amazon for online retail. Walmart for in-store retail. These are contemporary examples but there are historical examples as well that have come and gone. IBM was the Google of yesteryear. Woolworth was a huge American institution for 145 years before it went under in 1997.

      No matter what business or industry, and no matter what time period post-industrial-revolution you look at, the bulk of revenue always has and always will be concentrated in the hands of a few hyper-successful performers.

      What you should care about, if you're worried that your personal financial destiny is not in your hands, is how mobile and fluid are these demographics and if THAT has changed. And while there is a ton of talk about "wealth transfer", no one to my knowledge has made as compelling case, supported with data, that suggests that social mobility has declined in the past few generations.

      And here's where things get really eye-opening. I'm a Gen X'er. And I have two Gen Z daughters who are in their mid twenties. My daughters like to repeat a claim that I've heard repeated lots about Gen Z. It goes something like this: "Gen Z is the FIRST generation in the USA that enjoys a lower standard of living than their parents did."

      I actually started to believe that for a little bit. Then a YouTube video popped up in my recommendations that was about the history of Gen X, and I clicked on it because I was in the mood for a bit of nostalgia. Source: https://youtu.be/kuILG795Zow?si=lqdXw5am9aCHKOza

      What were my contemporaries in the late 1980s / early 90s saying in news clips at the time, shown in that video?

      "Gen X is the FIRST generation in USA history that enjoys a lower standard of living than their parents did."

      hmmm ... seems like maybe our takes on the economy have more to do with human psychology and ideology than they do with actual empirical data. Because the same crap that is said about the "haves vs the have nots" were being said by workers in the 19th century. They were said by young adult boomers in the 1970s during the recession. They were repeated by my contemporaries in the 80s and 90s following the crash in the 80s. They were repeated by Occupy Wall-Street following the 2008 crash. They're repeated today in light of the housing crisis.

      "Capitalism", as I perceive it, is not an architected, planned "system." It's the natural result of recognizing certain basic rights and then leaving people to their own devices. When you have the right to acquire and own property, to dispose of that property as you see fit, to think and express your ideas freely and to associate freely then a few things happen organically: people accumulate wealth, invent things, start businesses and trade amongst each other. This is going to happen organically because it's what people do. We think, we discover, we create and we trade. That's my working definition of "capitalism" anyway.

      And I don't personally care how much wealthier someone is vs myself, as long as there is no application of force that prevents me from being able to pursue my own financial interests and climb the wealth ladder. Gates himself, whether you love him or hate him (I'm personally not a fan) is a rags to riches story himself. As long as I have the ability to save money, to make my own decisions regarding that money, to invent, to create, to produce things then I'm not worried about my social mobility because while things have not been easy, I grew up way below the poverty line, raised by a single mother collecting welfare checks to feed my little brother and I. Later on in life I owned a business, my wife and I own our home and a few major assets debt free etc. I've never once felt in my life like rich people were preventing me from improving my station in life.

      In fact, I've found much more personal success and happiness when I choose to blame no one other than myself for my own successes and failures, rather than looking for others to scapegoat.

      • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

        it's hoarding, no one needs or deserves that much capital, capital is supposed to be tied to the producer, not the owner of the producer

        this is economic slavery, obviously

        • Right, in the cartoon model the profits get reinvested in the company, not used to buy politicians and to collect media corporations like baseball cards.
          • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

            in the real world, all those who create capital should keep the capital they created,

            anything else is theft and exploitation

      • Don't call it "capitalism", that is Marxist terminology, call it "free society with market economy", that is freedom of contract and rule of law.

      • I don't personally care how much wealthier someone is vs myself, as long as there is no application of force that prevents me from being able to pursue my own financial interests and climb the wealth ladder.

        The ultra-wealthy buy laws which keep you down.

        Gates himself, whether you love him or hate him (I'm personally not a fan) is a rags to riches story himself.

        AhaHahAHAHHAhaHaHAHAHAHHA

        Gates comes from a wealthy family and was able to succeed because of the influence of members of that wealthy family.

        If you're not his fan, don't tell lies on his behalf.

        If you don't know the story, then don't purport to, that's a different kind of lie.

      • And here's where things get really eye-opening. I'm a Gen X'er. And I have two Gen Z daughters who are in their mid twenties. My daughters like to repeat a claim that I've heard repeated lots about Gen Z. It goes something like this: "Gen Z is the FIRST generation in the USA that enjoys a lower standard of living than their parents did."

        I actually started to believe that for a little bit. Then a YouTube video popped up in my recommendations that was about the history of Gen X, and I clicked on it because I was in the mood for a bit of nostalgia. Source: https://youtu.be/kuILG795Zow?s... [youtu.be]

        What were my contemporaries in the late 1980s / early 90s saying in news clips at the time, shown in that video?

        "Gen X is the FIRST generation in USA history that enjoys a lower standard of living than their parents did."

        What the fuck dude? Really? It does not appear to be materially harder to make rent and food than it was when you were younger? Seriously? Sure, it is MUCH easier for me now than it was then because I am being paid significantly more than when I was 20; however, even I can recognize that there is no way I would make rent on minimum wage now like I did (barely, lots of starving) then.

        Younger people are materially worse off now than they were when I was born. My young parents experienced the first of the down

    • You think the lower class has 15%?

      You're optimistic. According to a recent Harvard study, the lower 80% of the US population has 7% of the national wealth.

      • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

        the lower classes includes the middle class, however, your point is true and this is getting worse and it will continue to get worse until our economy collapses from inequality once again

    • by RobinH ( 124750 )

      There are certain people, who, if they get access to capital, will tend to turn that into more wealth. Then there's the rest of us. When you give an average Joe Worker extra money, they never invest it in self improvement or increasing their efficiency, or their own education. They blow it on short term hedonistic pursuits. I know it sucks, but this is just reality. That's why capitalism works, to the extent that it does, because it accumulates wealth in the hands of people who create more wealth. Tha

      • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

        more pseudo-capitalistic propaganda, the real truth is capital comes from us, when we produce and from nowhere else

        • by RobinH ( 124750 )
          We tried communism multiple times in the 20th century (that's the years that start with 19 by the way) and it was a massive disaster every single time. Why would you want to impose those horrors on our nation?
          • by 2TecTom ( 311314 )

            We tried communism multiple times in the 20th century (that's the years that start with 19 by the way) and it was a massive disaster every single time. Why would you want to impose those horrors on our nation?

            As if you even know what communism is. Communism is like the Hutterites, the Kibbutz movement or the hippies. Sadly what pseudo-conservative people often call ‘communism’ is really despotism, as in the USSR, North Korea and China. These are not communistic, they are ‘command economies’ run by ‘tyrants’ which are closer to fascism than they are to communism. Or perhaps people are referring to the “Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx, which is a one hundred year o

      • "There are certain people, who, if they get access to capital, will tend to turn that into more wealth. Then there's the rest of us."

        Yeah, we turn it into even more wealth than the wealthy. The difference is that we turn it into more wealth for OTHER PEOPLE IN GENERAL while the wealthy turn it into less than half as much wealth, and mostly for other WEALTHY people.

        When the poor get money then it gets passed around and spent about five times before it ends up in a wealthy person's pocket.

        When the wealthy do

      • by BranMan ( 29917 )

        Sounds like an idiot designed the part making machine. I assume it is stamping two different parts out of a single blank source at once. So making it two different machines may not be possible - but it's the simplest solution. Removes the decision.

        There are many solutions - modify the machine so it stamps one part type with a red circle (for instance). All red circles go here, everything else goes there. Close to eliminates the decision.

        There are automated, camera based systems that could sort them.

  • But I get 100% of my book recommendations from people that say minorities in other countries need to have less kids because they're taking too many global resources away from rich people.
  • by DMJC ( 682799 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @08:40AM (#65016531)
    I see it already, my nephew is being raised on TV and electronics and it's honestly sad. I would never let a child touch a phone or computer until they are at least in high school. Frankly Mobile phones shouldn't be allowed until post high school. I work in tech, programming, network engineering Cisco, Linux etc I can do pretty much everything. I still wouldn't want my kids to follow my path. They'd be better off in a trade and better off exploring the world and living life to the fullest.
    • "I would never let a child touch a phone or computer until they are at least in high school"

      The only reason I became employable as other than a burger flipper given the unaffordability of education is that I was computing from an early age. You would destroy opportunity to satisfy your prejudices.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      Right, put your kids at a huge disadvantage in the modern world. Might as well not teach them to read or write either. Don't let them damn evil printing presses infect their minds! Should work out great.

      The problem is nobody is being taught how to exist in a digital world. Mainly because the people that should be passing on that knowledge were never taught either. So basically we have a bunch of morons running around with high power tools and no training.

      • by DMJC ( 682799 )
        People aren't learning how to exist in a digital world by being stuck on their phones. They definitely aren't getting ahead by having their mum dump them on a screen so they don't have to deal with a two year old child that naturally wants attention and interaction. How do you think kids learn to interact with other people? More people need to know howto do mathematics and need one on one instruction, my parents were both teachers and I have a very good understanding of where/how people fall behind in educ
    • by bjb ( 3050 )
      Remember that even Steve Jobs' kids didn't have an iPad [independent.co.uk].
  • Basing any policy decisions based on the viewpoint of a single person who works for Microsoft seems, well, short-sighted. These people are likely too need more breadth than depth on the topic of AI.
  • by Miles_O'Toole ( 5152533 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @08:53AM (#65016557)

    The problem is that whenever there's a significant technological advance, it is immediately pounced on by wealthy, greedy opportunists whose number one priority is to get as much money out of it as possible. Social costs, environmental costs, danger to average people...none of it matters if there's money to be made.

  • Technology is "unstoppable" and "containment is foundational to everything else" sounds like a recipe for a dystopian nightmare to me.

    Interesting no serious thought or consideration seems to ever be given to simply not going there in the first place invoking the age old if we don't someone else will argument. It is merely presumed impossible to stop "progress" but apparently not so impossible to prevent software from being executed, information from being spread or trustworthy AIs to be developed. Nobody

  • I actually agree with two - Jon Haidt presents some compelling insights and Grady makes fun YouTube videos

  • It's funny that the very next article posted in slashdot is "Are Adults Forgetting How To Read?". Maybe it'd be helpful if Mr. Gates were to dumb down his recommendations a little bit.
  • by Equuleus42 ( 723 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @11:59AM (#65017103) Homepage

    Let's remember, this is the same person who barely mentioned the web [arstechnica.com] in his 1995 book, The Road Ahead...

  • Bill Gates got divorced over his trips to Epstein Island.

FORTUNE'S FUN FACTS TO KNOW AND TELL: A black panther is really a leopard that has a solid black coat rather then a spotted one.

Working...