“We are entering a new world: a world where artificial intelligence has enormous impacts in every aspects of our lives. Should we be excited or worried about this brave new world? Or perhaps a bit of both? In this timely, evocative, and thought-provoking book, Darrell West and John Allen argue the answer to this question will depend on the regulatory and policy choices we make as we exploit AI in business, health, transportation, and other sectors. They then offer recommendations to shape these coming choices. In the process, they provide the perfect balance to books that focus more on the technology of AI and less on the practical impact the technology will have. Highly recommended!”—Robert Work, former deputy secretary of defense

“In a world of AI, machine learning, and data analytics, it is important to have technologies that serve human interests and respect human values. West and Allen have written a comprehensive account that explains what AI is, outlines its virtues and risks, and shows how to move forward into a world of human-centered technology. Their governance and policy blueprint lays out creative steps to safeguard humanity’s future.”—Fei-Fei Li, Stanford University

“Fears of artificial intelligence have prompted warnings of ‘the end of the human race’ and ‘summoning the demon.’ West and Allen’s new book, Turning Point, provides a compelling and clear-headed explanation and analysis of the promise and perils and what we all need to do to keep it under control. Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of this new frontier should read this book.”—Jake Tapper, CNN

“AI is transforming education, healthcare, and warfare, and raising a host of political, ethical, and policy questions. There hasn’t been an authoritative unified analysis of these myriad questions. Until now. This timely book by West and Allen not only poses the questions in an informed fashion but proposes thoughtful policy responses. The book is nothing short of a roadmap for our AI future.”—Oren Etzioni, University of Washington

Artificial Intelligence is here. How can society make the best use of it?

Until recently, artificial intelligence sounded like something out of science fiction. But with the advent of increased computing power, machine learning, and data analytics, AI is becoming more common, from software that can spot possible tumors to e-commerce algorithms that seem to know what you want to buy before you decide. Throughout the economy and in many aspects of daily life, artificial intelligence has become the transformative technology of our time.

Despite its current and potential benefits, AI is littleunderstood and widely feared by the larger public. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence has given rise to concerns that emerging technologies will create a dystopian world of increased inequality, declining privacy, and a broad threat to humanity itself.

In this compelling and readable book, West and Allen discuss both the opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence—and how near-term policy decisions could determine whether the technology leads to utopia or dystopia. Drawing on in-depth studies of major AI uses, the authors detail how the technology actually works and outline a policy and governance blueprint for gaining the benefits of artificial intelligence while minimizing its potential downsides. They make a number of recommendations for improving governance, strengthening ethics, and reducing the biases that are present in algorithms. Turning Point is essential reading for anyone concerned about how artificial intelligence operates.