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“Skidelsky, a British economist, draws on literature, political philosophy, history, and cultural developments in this brooding meditation on the rise of artificial intelligence. The promise of a better world, he warns, ‘is open only to a tiny minority.’” —New York Times Book Review
“A grand history of ‘the mechanical philosophy,’ applied to work and society, as it began in Europe and was exported to the rest of the world…an elegant story about the emergence of capitalism from feudalism and the subsequent technological explosion.” —The Spectator
“Will technology liberate us, or further enslave us? That’s the big question underlying this treatise on machines and their discontents.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Skidelsky’s exploration traces the ever-increasing entrapment of humans by modern technology and capitalism…This thought-provoking book makes readers think about how much they’re willing to rely on machines in the future.” —Library Journal
“In pithy, aphoristic prose…Skidelsky serves up some unsettling insights.” —Publishers Weekly
“A thoughtful reflection on the role of technology in the development of Western civilization and its implications for humanity’s future. Skidelsky…comfortably displays his erudition in disciplines that include history, economics, politics, philosophy, and literature.” —Shelf Awareness
“A warning from history about the dangers not only of techno-hype but also of overreliance on standard ways of understanding and interacting with machines…That is certainly needed.” —Literary Review
“Skidelsky demolishes the oft-touted reassurance that ‘With suitable education and training workers will be able to take on higher-level…tasks in any job, whilst the more menial tasks will be taken up by machines’ by marshalling compelling arguments…an informative, engaging and sweeping treatise on humanity’s millennia-long relationship with technology.” —Society of Professional Economists
“AI may feel different, but modernity has been one long struggle over how technology has shaped the human condition. Robert Skidelsky draws on history and philosophy, theology and literature to shed light on our current cultural moment and to show, with both wit and sophistication, how we can understand and navigate our ‘machine age’ without losing our humanity.” —Nick Spencer, coauthor of Playing God: Science, Religion and the Future of Humanity