The Beast in the Machine is a comprehensive look at un-manned warfare. Author George Dougherty gives a solid - and very interesting - base on the history of the subject. His attention to details that are not widely known, and in many obfuscated from the public, about the affects and campaigns of early attempts at autonomous war craft could stand as book in and unto itself.

Dougherty wisely admits that the realm he is writing about is advancing so quickly, that it would be a futile attempt to actualize the most cutting edge of combat tech. Rather, he gives solid theory behind the prevailing thoughts and concerns, augmented with real-world accounts and plausible hypothetical asides.

The one thing that holds the book back is its American point of view. Using pronouns like "we" in place of saying the United States, the U.S. Military, etc. could affect the whole tone of the book as interpreted by an international audience. However, while the book is American-centric, Dougherty does not hold back from facts that do not always paint the United States in the best of light.

Very interesting and informative read. Realistically, this is written very technically and it better for someone with more background knowledge of the military. It was hard to get through a lot of it and stay engaged.

I’m incredibly interested in how AI will be used in the coming years and with all the geopolitical tensions ongoing these days, I thought this book would be an interesting read. There were parts I did enjoy, but most of the content relates very specifically to military strategy, a topic that I do not find interesting in any era. I also felt that some of the risks related to AI were oversimplified by the author.