Review
"Wagner and Furst eloquently present the promises and perils of AI in a way that resists the tendency to over and underestimate the social, political, and economic impacts. In a world where AI Supremacy is more than industry domination or achieving first mover status, the authors recognize that there is no real end to this race. In their talented, critical and in-depth geopolitical analysis of our quest to solving intelligence, the authors keep us eager to learn more about our hybrid futures and for this reason, this book is a must-read."
- Eleonore Pauwels, Research Fellow on Emerging Cybertechnologies at the United Nations University's Center for Policy Research and Director of the AI Lab at the Wilson Center"Daniel and Keith help us understand social, political, and economic changes that will follow a wide adoption of AI and machine learning by adjusting norms, policies, and business models. AI Supremacy is a great milestone to engage us all in a critical conversation about how we want our AI-enabled future be more inclusive and sustainable."
- Danil Kerimi, Head of Information, Technology,and Electronics Industries, World Economic Forum"Daniel Wagner and Keith Furst take us on a fascinating, in-depth journey through the arcane and sometimes mystifying world of AI. The authors do a superb job of defining what AI is, and what it isn't, and they provide a comprehensive view of its use in commercial, civil, military, and intelligence applications,including the health and financial industries. Excellent discussions of the crucial fields of neural networks and machine learning help the reader understand what sometimes seems like black magic.
Wagner and Furst provide a thorough analysis of what companies and countries are spending,who is ahead in this rapidly growing field, and describe the explosion of interest as nations around the globe rush to compete in, and win, the AI "arms race". They describe how companies will use-and possibly misuse-AI in their attempts to outsell one another, how militaries and intelligence agencies will depend on AI for everything from logistics to analysis to decision support to lethal weapons, and how different countries view regulation of AI and data and will use AI in future "information wars". In one somewhat chilling section, the authors remind us of how authoritarian regimes may be able to use AI against the population.
Not just limiting their scope to AI in particular, Wagner and Furst spend a fair amount of time on the broader topic of computer-aided activities, from robotics to advanced manufacturing to financial services. They detail many of the companies leading in these areas and describe how these advances will affect world trade and economies. Frighteningly, they also delve into how these systems and technologies can be manipulated for the purposes of fraud. The latter portions of the book give an excellent, and much needed, review of not only the advantages which will accrue from AI, but also some of its shortcomings and possible disadvantages, raising potential ethical concerns with its too widespread and too rapid adoption.
AI Supremacy is a thorough and exhaustive review of an important, soon to be ubiquitous, technology, containing much of what is known about the subject. It is a fascinating read and is highly recommended for anyone working in or interested in the subject."
- Major General (Ret.) Robert H. Latiff, Ph.D., Author of Future War: Preparing for the New Global Battlefield"The AI revolution will entail vast and unpredictable disruption within societies,across countries, and among geopolitical blocks. AI Supremacy is singular among the AI literature. It is a powerful, sweeping, compellingly structured and presented overview of the essential questions that the advent of AI-including the potential for superintelligence--raises. It examines the factors and forces that will drive change and define the battle lines in a new kind of quest for supremacy. This quest will determine how we experience our professional and personal lives, whether privacy and dignity-indeed ethics--will subsist, how societies are organized and stratified, how we educate our children and care for the ill and the elderly, how we fight our wars, what the global order will look like, and even how we conceive of what it means to be human. AI Supremacy is as thoughtful and comprehensive an exploration as you will find. It will equip readers-policymakers, corporate leaders, and ordinary citizens alike-with the knowledge needed to become informed participants in pressingly needed, high stakes societal dialogue."
- Nicolas Economou, CEO, H5, Senior Advisor of the AI Initiative at The Future Society, and chair of the Law Committee, IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems"Daniel Wagner and Keith Furst explore the problems that a radical shift toward AI utilization may present and answer pertinent questions with meticulous attention. AI Supremacy bridges conversations about economics and technology with comprehensive research and thorough examinations; it is a convincing resource. The book is as persuasive as it is thorough. Technology and economics professionals, and individuals concerned about the future of AI,will find the work informative and useful."
- Foreword Clarion Reviews"Wagner and Furst provide a healthy dose of common sense to cut through the hype surrounding AI."
- Rand Waltzman, Senior Information Scientist,Rand Corporation"In a world where there are more connected devices than people, what happens when the machines start speaking to each other with the intelligence and agency usually reserved for humanity? The specter of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and job-destroying industrial automation has far-reaching implications for business, public policy, and global economic security. In AI Supremacy, Daniel Wagner and Keith Furst write a considerable treatise on how AI will shape the future of work and the future of the world. This is an important work addressing one of the world's most pressing and least understood decisions - how shall we coexist with smart machines and how do we cope if Moore's Law turns against us?"
- Dante Disparte, Vice Chairman, The Diem Association"Wagner and Furst exhaustively explore the inner workings and implications of AI. Each chapter focuses on the current and future state of AI within a specific industry, country or society. Special emphasis is placed on how AI will shape the domestic, diplomatic, and military landscapes of the US, EU, and China.This tome is a great resource for politicians, entrepreneurs, scholars, and ethicists to research short and long-term trends in AI and where humanity fits into this brave new world."
- Russell Whitehouse, Executive Editor, InternationalPolicy Digest"Daniel Wagner and Keith Furst have produced an inspired book that neatly unpacks the growing potential risks which accompany the race undertaken by organizations and governments alike-toward supremacy in artificial intelligence. Over fourteen lucid chapters, the authors entertain, edify, and educate by analyzing most rigorously the plethora of themes associated with the emergence of AI and machine learning. From the globalization of AI to international espionage and the scale of China's quest for supremacy, Wagner and Furst's work is a real page turner. They raise deeply pertinent, often unanswerable questions that simultaneously highlight the enormous parameters of human fallibility, and the growing existential threat to human nature. AI Supremacy is a must read for individuals, businesses, and government officials who are seeking to understand what this unprecedented phenomenon means for the future of our shaky international system."
- Aditya Ramachandran, Research Associate, HybridReality
"Once again,Daniel Wagner demonstrates his expertise of relatable intelligence. He and Keith Furst provide the reader with memorable, real world examples of how AI is changing the course of humanity, and what to expect in the future. Each sector is thoroughly examined so that the reader fully understands the impact of AI.Entertaining, meaningful, and insightful, this book is a powerful revelation into the future of mankind and the world around us."
Jennifer Ciotta, author of I, Putin
About the Author
Daniel Wagner is the founder and CEO of Country Risk Solutions and a widely published author on current affairs and risk management.
He began his career at AIG in New York and subsequently spent five years as Guarantee Officer for the Asia Region at the World Bank Group's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency in Washington, D.C. After then serving as Regional Manager for Political Risks for Southeast Asia and Greater China for AIG in Singapore, Daniel moved to Manila, Philippines where he held several positions - including as Senior Guarantees and Syndications Specialist - for the Asian Development Bank's Office of Co-financing Operations. Prior to forming CRS he was Senior Vice President of Country Risk at GE Energy Financial Services. He also served as senior consultant for the African Development Bank on institutional investment.
Daniel is the author of eight books: ""The Chinese Vortex", The America-China Divide", "China Vision", "AI Supremacy", "Virtual Terror", "Global Risk Agility and Decision Making", "Managing Country Risk", and "Political Risk Insurance Guide". He has also published more than 700 articles on current affairs and risk management and is a regular contributor to the South China Morning Post, Sunday Guardian, Diplomatic Courier, and Fair Observer, among many others. (For a full listing of his publications and media interviews please see countryrisksolutions.com).
Daniel holds master's degrees in International Relations from the University of Chicago and in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix. He received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from Richmond College in London.
