4 stars

Ugh. Well, as an English professor, it was easy to immediately identify the many problems A.I. might present, and I can say confidently that things have gone much worse than we all expected already. Reading this book? Well, it's confirmation of several concerns and challenges that many of us in this profession have been wildly fearing since we became aware of generative A.I. heading to the masses.

While Barrat does present some great background and general basics about generative A.I., to me, this really reads more like a horror story (not the kind I like, and I LOVE horror). I think this is an important book and topic, and I'm glad I read it because what I really want to do - live in a space where this doesn't exist - is not available to me. More reasons I'm thrilled about my life choices (genuinely).

If you prefer to live in ignorance, do not queue this. If you want to learn some scary stuff before the robots tell you whether that's allowed, check out this read. I'm glad I did!

A wise woman once told me _Idiocracy_ is a great documentary. Confirmed.

James Barrat’s The Intelligence Explosion is a Molotov cocktail lobbed at the shiny promises of Big Tech. Forget the utopian hype. Barrat drags AI down to the gritty reality: error-prone, opaque, and evolving faster than we can even read the manual. He’s not here to coddle your optimism; he’s here to scream that once these machines outpace us, they won’t care about our feelings, our laws, or our survival. Through sharp interviews and blunt warnings, he paints a future where unregulated AI could turn from tool to overlord while we’re still debating emojis. This isn’t a polite academic chat—it’s a call to chain yourself to the server racks before it’s too late. Equal parts fascinating and terrifying, it’s a wake-up siren for anyone still sleeping through the machine uprising.

Not what I expected but it was a very interesting read! I was nervous about tech before and now I am waiting for the doom to arrive. It was a great book with a lot of interesting information

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (3.5/5)
I finished The Intelligence Explosion feeling a mixture of fascination and foreboding. Barrat has a snappy, engaging writing style and often injects a bit of humor into dense technical subject matter. The sheer scope of expert interviews and warnings about AI systems accelerating beyond human control really got under my skin. Yet at times it reads like a careful briefing—and the repetition of key themes made parts feel heavy and academic. Still, the core message is urgent and compelling, even if it didn’t leave me with warm fuzzies about the future.

A well-written expose on the future of Artificial Intelligence and how our reliance on it will become our downfall. Well documented and widely researched, this book is not for the overly worried- it won’t ease your fears.

As someone who creates online content for a living, I was interested in learning more about the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence. However, this book was too technical for me and the writing style was too heavy and alarmist. I did enjoy learning more about how ChatGPT works, since that is an AI tool I'm familiar with and use on occasion. I don't disagree that it's possible for AI to become smarter than humans and essentially "take over the world," and that there is a huge potential for harm, but this book felt like reading a very long research paper and left me feeling pessimistic about the future.

An interesting, if dry read on AGI and ASI. I learned a lot and I think this book is perfect for those who are interested in the impacts of AI in all the aspects of our lives today. I would be interested to see and updated version of this book in a few years and a conversation on where AI has impacted from now until then.

Every voter, government policy maker, and tech worker needs to read this book. Yes, it’s terrifying, and I wish I could dismiss its claims about AI as extreme or purely hypothetical. But we need to take it seriously because most claims are backed by expert opinions or specific examples. Overall, it is very well-written, thorough, and thoughtful. Yes, it’s repetitive at times, but people really need to hear its message frequently, because society will need to make some BIG changes if we are to stop AGI from having the chance to do real damage. I hope this book helps people wake up to the dangers of AI and act accordingly, before, according to this book, it’s too late.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.

Definitely an interesting read, especially as someone studying computer science and AI right now. I want AI to be good and safe and helpful, but this book, along with many other sources I have seen, opened my eyes to the serious concerns and potential threats it has to society. AI is scary. That being said, this book was very fact-based and dry and read like a college textbook, which will be extremely boring for a lot of readers. I don't think it will be for everyone. It is great for people truly interested in studying computer science and AI, but there needs to be a book that includes several of the more engaging moments in this book, minus all the rest, in order to spread more awareness for the threat AI could have to our future. I say that because the average person will not pick up this book and enjoy reading it.

As someone who is mostly against AI, this was a very interesting book for me to read. It will be interesting to see how the world changes in terms of artificial intelligence, and I think the best thing for us to do is to educate ourselves on it.

Not what was expecting. This book took a deep dive into the perils of AI which many of us have mixed opinions on its use. Now, I have to admit that a lot of what was written went over my head, and I think it will be the same for most readers. I was expecting thought provoking ideas on the pro and cons of AI, while leaning a bit toward the con. In a nutshell, I could tell the author was very well versed on the topic of AI, but wasn’t clear enough for readers like myself, who enjoy a good debate or discussion on a controversial topic such as this.

THE INTELLIGENCE EXPLOSION: When AI Beats Humans at Everything by James Barrat [2025]

James Barret’s is an organized researcher and writer.

His writing technique is obvious in his book, The Intellgence Explosion. He discusses his three main goals in the prologue: 1) Technology companies are tethered to AI and this attachment includes members of society; 2) Humanity is on a slippery slope due to the rapid pace of technology and what will unfold; 3) Barrat wants to provide hope, one that is fragile. It is “hope against hope.”

Barrat offers the reader his opinion about AI and its complexity; hence, the inherent bias of the message. This is a good thing to do when writing about AI as the reader is not subsumed in subtext. Barrat is not a proponent for AI because he can foresee uses that are mostly negative and that will create a world of compromised vision and creativity. When he does offer hope, it is a double-edged sword because the possible positives of AI are seen as admonition to its development.

The book is well organized and well-researched with intent and content. Each section addresses and analyzes an issue with AI and the inclusive subcategories of the issue that invariably finds a Weltschmerz of the field of AI.

The author achieves a comprehensive and systematic explanation of all that needs to be considered in as linguistic content powers AI. The linguistic content is negative and creates added negative content. Is the linguistic understanding of society “spooled” in negativity? Is there a way to encode and or decode positivity when interacting with AI?

Those responsible for AI are members of an elite group whose group think may be antithetical to the people that it intends to control. It is pressure from above in a cunning and masterful achievement of linguistical negativity.

Cultural lag is present in the creation of AI. Since this is a problem, laws should be enacted now to rein in AI as this may be one hope for unbridled anomie.

Who reads this book? If this book is a warming to humanity, then it needs to be available to all.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This book needs a clean sweep of grammar and to some extent, spelling. The phrase is “sleight of hand” not “slight of hand.

The Intelligence Explosion: When AI Beats Humans at Everything by James Barrat provides sober second thought about the rush to develop Artificial Intelligence. Barrat includes comments from experts as he delves into the various ways that the development of AI could go, and has gone, wrong.

The Intelligence Explosion discusses large language models like ChatGPT, exploring their unpredictability and inaccuracy. All too often, Barrat notes, these models produce information that is simply wrong. These models can provide plausible-sounding information that is factually incorrect or even misleading, and at times large language models have “made up” citations for information they provided.

At the same time, as Artificial Intelligence has access to more and more information, there is the possibility that machine intelligence will dramatically increase through self-improvement. Some fear that AI might rapidly and exponentially outstrip human intelligence, possibly with catastrophic results.

Many experts have pointed out the need to ensure AI is aligned with human values. That’s proven to be difficult to do. Barrat notes that much of what goes on inside models like ChatGPT is not transparent. We can see the inputs and the outputs, but don’t really understand what happens in between. This doesn’t bode well for our likelihood of controlling any adverse outcomes, or for building in safety mechanisms.

Barrat examines the problematic way in which many generative models acquired their base data, some trained on materials used without the authors’ permission, others fed information and images found by scraping the web and other sources indiscriminately, such that pornographic images and sexist and racist biases have been integrated into some of the models.

The Intelligence Explosion notes that large language models don’t really “understand” language or process “knowledge” as humans know it. They operate on pattern recognition and prediction. The human tendency to anthropomorphize what these models are doing is problematic because it misrepresents the actual process.

Barrat includes comments from individuals who are critical of the speed at which AI is being developed, and the lack, in many cases, of appropriate guardrails. He cites cases in which AI has encouraged individuals to commit suicide or engage in acts of violence. There is also the potential for AI to be used for nefarious activities like terrorism and election meddling. Barrat cites examples of the use of AI for military purposes, in identifying and removing targets, sometimes taking families along with them. Barrat raises questions about who decides (humans or machines) what constitutes acceptable collateral damage, and whether the “human” side of the equation is given adequate weight.

While Barrat cites some positive things that AI can help with, such as medical diagnostics and aircraft avoidance technology, he points out many downsides. Increased cybersecurity risks, increased societal division when AI models are used to spread disinformation or inflame emotions, and the creation of convincing deep fakes are just a few of the negative applications.

Perhaps the greatest risk outlined in The Intelligence Explosion is the race to develop Artificial General Intelligence, or even Superintelligence. If the end result is the creation of entities many times “smarter” than humans, entities that able to think far more quickly, trouble is likely to arise if these entities have not been aligned with human values. Even something so simple as single-minded determination to carry out a single directive, while ignoring all other factors (such as resource preservation, environmental protection, or preservation of life) could have disastrous outcomes.

There is no guarantee artificial general intelligence will be friendly toward humans. Its “comprehension” is very different from ours, and we don’t really understand what’s going on inside the box. Some think the race toward Superintelligence is a recipe for disaster, and at best, we may only get one chance to get it right.

Despite the downsides, Barrat notes, companies are recklessly developing technology without the ability to control it. The speed at which some are racing to develop AI does not bode well for our chances of getting it right. Suggestions that we need to slow down are met with the excuse that “we need to develop the technology before the other guys get it.”

Even some of the concerned experts Barrat talks to have thrown up their hands, thinking it’s impossible to stop a quest of this nature that is perceived to have the potential to make huge amounts of money—for some people, while others are already losing their jobs, having been replaced by AI.

The Intelligence Explosion is entertainingly written, and the logic is easy to follow. Barrat often makes his points with humor, and sometimes employs cutting sarcasm directed at the tech bros and corporations who are getting richer even as they hurtle us all toward what may well prove to be the precipice of oblivion. While The Intelligence Explosion didn’t do much to help me sleep at night, I was glad to have read it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for insights into the downside of the race to develop Artificial Intelligence.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think it's important to acknowledge the risks of AI. This book leans pessimistic and if you are someone who is already afraid of AI, this will not help you with your fears. But the more we talk about these unknowns, the better we can as a society take collective action---the sooner the better. Rating 5 stars because it's going to get the discussion going. I would pair this book with Snake Oil by Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor for a panoramic view of the topic (not as a replacement to be clear, just as additional info to bolster the discussion).

The information in this book is 5 stars- I just didn't enjoy the repetitive nature of the presentation of information. James Barrat has a negative view of AI and what the future holds (hey, I do too) and acknowledges that this is his bias from the get-go. With the information provided (lots of sources, yay!), it's no wonder that he's worried about the future. Like I mentioned above, my only real issue with this book is that much of the material was covered multiple times and the book could have likely been cut by a 1/3 to really get the salient points across. Some of the things I have learned that really stuck with me:
-the ethical concerns of AI/lack of oversight from developers
- the absolute mystery behind how AI works
-how AI has already been weaponized
-how environmentally damaging AI is
- a few presented outlooks for the future
- various scientists thoughts about AI (this is combined with information about outlooks for the future)

I imagine that the content of this book will make the information relatively obsolete within the next few years as advances are made. Therefore, my recommendation is to read this book NOW (publication date: September 02, 2025) rather than shelving it for the undetermined TBR future.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced e-copy of this book. The first thing I did after reading this was to read the sources of my favorite parts of this book- I wanted more information! That's exactly what I feel great non-fiction should be, and I really appreciate that about James Barrat's new book.

While it's informative and eye opening, it's also a little dry. The Intelligence Explosion by James Barrat is one of those books that makes you feel smarter just for finishing it. It's packed with information about artificial intelligence, its future, and all the wild (and sometimes terrifying) possibilities it brings. And while I learned a ton, I have to be honest that this one read more like a dissertation than a page turning book. If you're here for a fun, thrilling AI rollercoaster… this ain't it.

That said, if you're really into the topic of AI, like watching tech conference keynotes for fun kind of into it, then this book might be right up your alley. There are some jaw dropping moments sprinkled in. For example, I had no idea there's an AI dating site where you can get matched with an actual AI partner. Wild. And yes, the book dives into the serious stuff too, like how many experts believe AI could (very realistically) lead to human extinction. No big deal, right?

As someone curious about how AI is being used in industries like healthcare, I appreciated how James Barrat didn't sugarcoat the risks. The unpredictability, the lack of control, and the looming safety concerns... yep, my anxiety is fully awake now, thanks.

So while it's a solid, thought provoking read that definitely made me reflect on how fast AI is evolving, it IS a heavy read; less “sci-fi adventure” and more “thesis defense.” If you're not already deep into the AI rabbit hole, this might not be the most entertaining way to get there. But if you are? There's a lot to chew on.

Thank you to NetGalley, James Barrat and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book.

This book was really informative, but read more like a dissertation than a book. If you’re really interested in the topic, you’ll like it. If you’re looking to be entertained, there are a few interesting moments. For example, did you know there is an AI dating site? Where you can actually go on and get matched with an AI partner? I didn’t know that. Kind of wild. Also, a lot of top researchers believe AI could potentially lead to human extinction. Very interesting.

AI is such a huge thing in the world right now and it has been getting bigger and bigger in healthcare therefore I was very curious in this book. The book did highlight some of my worries, how unpredictable it is, we cannot control it, safety, etc. Overall a good book and interesting, but really not for me.

There is so much out there on AI right now. It's always interesting to read about life-changing events (and, the use of AI is life changing) as they are happening (we all know past events allow for a different perspective). This premise is how AI is bad. I certainly hope the book is used to add to the conversation as developers and users continue to refine and update to make AI less dangerous and improve its accuracy.

Barrat’s book is far from sensationalist, but it is nonetheless bracing. He begins with dangers already present in LLMs such as ChatGPT—bias, racism, hallucinations—and proceeds to show that in the race for advanced general intelligence, then to advanced super intelligence, there are no guardrails, because none can be successfully based on any real assessment of these computing endpoints. If we don’t know where it is Werke going, if we don’t know what AGI and ASI are truly capable of, worse, if we don’t know how we are getting from here to there, how can we implement rules, limits, regulations, guardrails and failsafes? By the time we know what we have, these artificial systems will be beyond our ability to outthink. And even if we could, theoretically, conceive of an alignment structure (think, the set of universal ethics AGI and ASI systems would abide by, how could we avoid an alignment set that lacked the right kind of specificity? Too granular and the system doesn’t work, too general and the patient is killed in eradicating the disease. And given that ant ethics system is grounded in a long history of specificities, how could a global system of competing values ever be anything but too general? There is good news with this bad news: there doesn’t appear to be a continuous line from LLMs right in to AGI, let alone ASI. Further the energy infrastructure it would require also seems too inadequate. Perhaps, like the ages old quest to turn lead in to gold, there will be no turning LLMs into AGI or ASI. But Barrat points out, it’s not safe to do nothing. And even if real AGI is never achieved, there are still current and emergent dangers to deal with.