The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence

As much a biography of AI itself as of DeepMind’s brilliant and idiosyncratic cofounder, journalist Mallaby’s (The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future) account of the advent of artificial intelligence arrives at a pivotal moment. Based on extensive interviews and research, the book offers an inside look at the key players, philosophies, ambitions, and technological leaps of faith that have recently shaped the AI landscape. He begins with, and largely focuses on, Demis Hassabis, the researcher and entrepreneur whose pioneering work in the field is quickly besieged by competition, bureaucracy, and controversy over AI safety and ethics. Though much of what’s detailed here will be familiar to those who’ve followed AI development for the last decade or so, it remains a worthwhile effort, not least for revealing to lay readers the story behind a technology that increasingly affects everyone’s life.