by Paul Scharre
First published 2023
Paul Scharre explores how artificial intelligence reshapes global power dynamics between China, the United States, and Europe. The defense expert identifies four critical arenas where nations compete: data collection and refinement, computing power through advanced chip control, talent acquisition of top researchers and tech companies, and institutional frameworks that integrate AI into economies, societies, and militaries. Scharre takes readers inside China's coordinated "National Team" of AI companies, revealing tight connections between government, private sector, and surveillance operations. He interviews Pentagon officials and visits Defense Department offices in Silicon Valley, exposing friction between military needs and tech industry priorities. The book examines AI systems that run millions of war simulations, develop superior combat strategies, track billions through biometric data, and manipulate information via hidden algorithms. Scharre argues that democratic tensions, while creating challenges, ultimately build resilience against authoritarian control of powerful technologies. The analysis shows how AI transforms warfare, international security, and human liberty while outlining what democracies need to lead the emerging world order.
Genres: international-relations, political-science, non-fiction, artificial-intelligence, military-history, current-affairs
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, government-conspiracy
Setting: China, United States, Europe, Silicon Valley
Period: 21st-century
486 pages · Kindle Edition · W. W. Norton & Company