Some books are timeless…some, not so much – My frustration prompted by my presentation of my synopsis of AI Superpowers.
In the last two days, I have presented synopses of two good books. Yesterday, I presented my synopsis of Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin to an engaged group of learners at the City of Denton. I’ve got a hunch that I will be presenting my synopsis of Extreme Ownership for years to come. It is good; and, it’s lessons are timeless!
I then presented my synopsis of AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order this morning for another group of engaged learners in Oklahoma. It is the best book I have presented on Artificial Intelligence. It was a must-read when it was published, in 2018. It is still worth reading. I’m glad I presented it. It got the conversation flowing…
But…I also thought…it feels so behind what is needed now.
It made me think about the lifespan of books. Some books will never grow out of their usefulness. I think, as always, of Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It should be read, and re-read, time and again, for years and decades to come.
But some books deal with yesterday’s issues, or yesterday’s technology.
It’s not that there was anything wrong with AI Superpowers. It’s not that I disagreed with it. It’s just that it is not current. With the arrival of ChatGPT and Bard, and new platforms for Artificial Intelligence arriving so rapidly, AI Superpowers simply feels inadequate to the task. It doesn’t feel…complete; up to date.
Too much is changing, too fast.
And, I’ve got a hunch that any book on this subject will be dated so very quickly regarding this rapidly-changing technological capability.
And, I also have a hunch that we ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
