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The Age of Artificial Intelligence
ABOUT THE
"A brilliant book and a compelling read for everyone interested in the future of humanity."
—Amitabh Mattoo, JNU
"It expands the canvas of global affairs, imbues it with science, and offers a prism to view the centuries ahead."
—Gautam Chikermane, Observer Research Foundation
"It warns us about the dangers of unbridled AI if employed without an ethical ‘mirror’, and without a dharmic algorithm."
—J.C.R. Calazans Duarte, Lisbon University
"A deep and major dive into the future dominated by ideas related to AI."
—Menas Kafatos, Chapman University
The Age of Artificial Intelligence summarizes new developments in AI, its challenges and limitations in the background of evolving geopolitical equations. It also deals with the historical experience of the West, China, and India in coping with major upheavals as that will serve as template for the response to future AI-triggered disruptions.
If AI has the potential to set us free from drudgery, it can also alienate, homogenize, and enslave, but culture and memory serve as safeguard for they make human dignity and freedom central to human progress.
~
Subhash Kak is Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and a Distinguished Academic Scholar at Chapman University. He has authored thirty books, of which the most recent ones are The Idea of Bharat as a Civilisation and Eternal Truth, Meaning, and Beauty. Since 2018, he has been a member of the Indian Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council.
"A brilliant book and a compelling read for everyone interested in the future of humanity."
—Amitabh Mattoo, JNU
"It expands the canvas of global affairs, imbues it with science, and offers a prism to view the centuries ahead."
—Gautam Chikermane, Observer Research Foundation
"It warns us about the dangers of unbridled AI if employed without an ethical ‘mirror’, and without a dharmic algorithm."
—J.C.R. Calazans Duarte, Lisbon University
"A deep and major dive into the future dominated by ideas related to AI."
—Menas Kafatos, Chapman University
The Age of Artificial Intelligence summarizes new developments in AI, its challenges and limitations in the background of evolving geopolitical equations. It also deals with the historical experience of the West, China, and India in coping with major upheavals as that will serve as template for the response to future AI-triggered disruptions.
If AI has the potential to set us free from drudgery, it can also alienate, homogenize, and enslave, but culture and memory serve as safeguard for they make human dignity and freedom central to human progress.
~
Subhash Kak is Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and a Distinguished Academic Scholar at Chapman University. He has authored thirty books, of which the most recent ones are The Idea of Bharat as a Civilisation and Eternal Truth, Meaning, and Beauty. Since 2018, he has been a member of the Indian Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council.
Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2025
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About the author
Subhash Kak
44 books61 followersSubhash Kak is an Indian American computer scientist. He is Regents Professor and a previous Head of Computer Science Department at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater who has made contributions to cryptography, artificial neural networks, and quantum information.
Kak is also notable for his Indological publications on the history of science, the philosophy of science, ancient astronomy, and the history of mathematics. Alan Sokal labeled Kak "one of the leading intellectual luminaries of the Hindu-nationalist diaspora."
Kak is also notable for his Indological publications on the history of science, the philosophy of science, ancient astronomy, and the history of mathematics. Alan Sokal labeled Kak "one of the leading intellectual luminaries of the Hindu-nationalist diaspora."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 19, 2025
Subhash Kak’s "The Age of Artificial Intelligence" is not merely a treatise on technology, but it is a cerebral journey that examines the evolution and implications of AI through the lenses of history, philosophy, geopolitics, and civilizational thought. At once visionary and grounded, the book challenges the reader to rethink the very foundation of what it means to be “intelligent” in a world increasingly defined by artificial constructs.
At the heart of his argument lies a duality: AI, while promising to liberate humanity from the drudgery of repetitive labour, also carries with it the potential to strip away individuality, cultural uniqueness, and freedom itself. In a strikingly humanistic tone, the author posits that technology, when unmoored from ethical grounding and civilizational memory, risks leading society toward homogenization and alienation.
His proposition that “culture and memory are safeguards” is not an empty aphorism. It serves as the philosophical bedrock of the text. Drawing on historical disruptions and the responses of civilizations, particularly India, China, and the West, he constructs a comparative framework that gives readers a macrohistorical vantage point. By doing so, he highlights how deeply embedded cultural narratives and philosophical traditions shape our responses to upheavals, including those brought on by AI.
The author doesn’t romanticize tradition; instead, he uses it as a lens to critique AI’s epistemological blind spots. The result is a rare fusion: a rigorous technological perspective blended with civilizational introspection. His background as a computer scientist lends credibility to his technical observations, while his command of Indic philosophy enables him to interrogate AI’s moral and existential dimensions with unusual clarity.
He doesn’t shy away from being the political. He astutely identifies India’s contemporary dilemmas, ranging from technological dependency to cultural insecurity, as the long shadows of colonial trauma. His critique of India’s post-colonial technocratic elite is pointed but never polemical. Instead, he advocates for a reawakening of civilizational confidence, suggesting that India must integrate its spiritual and philosophical inheritance with technological advancement to craft a truly sovereign path in the AI age.
✍️ Strengths of the Book :
🔸Multidimensional Analysis (spans technology, history, philosophy, and politics with seamless transitions)
🔸Clarity with Complexity
🔸Timely and Timeless (The book speaks to our present AI anxieties while rooting its reflections in centuries of philosophical inquiry)
✒️ Possible Improvements :
▪️For readers expecting a technical manual or predictive roadmap for AI’s future, this book may feel too abstract or speculative at times.
▪️The civilizational lens, while refreshing, might not appeal to readers who are steeped in purely empirical or secular academic traditions.
▪️Some parts might benefit from greater empirical illustration—for instance, concrete case studies showing how civilizational values shape AI deployment across cultures.
In conclusion, it is a bold, intellectually rich, and philosophically nuanced book. The author emerges not just as a technologist or historian, but as a civilizational thinker, one who urges us to look beyond mere efficiency and productivity in our AI pursuits. He reminds us that meaning, memory, and dignity are not optional footnotes but essential to any sustainable future with machines.
At the heart of his argument lies a duality: AI, while promising to liberate humanity from the drudgery of repetitive labour, also carries with it the potential to strip away individuality, cultural uniqueness, and freedom itself. In a strikingly humanistic tone, the author posits that technology, when unmoored from ethical grounding and civilizational memory, risks leading society toward homogenization and alienation.
His proposition that “culture and memory are safeguards” is not an empty aphorism. It serves as the philosophical bedrock of the text. Drawing on historical disruptions and the responses of civilizations, particularly India, China, and the West, he constructs a comparative framework that gives readers a macrohistorical vantage point. By doing so, he highlights how deeply embedded cultural narratives and philosophical traditions shape our responses to upheavals, including those brought on by AI.
The author doesn’t romanticize tradition; instead, he uses it as a lens to critique AI’s epistemological blind spots. The result is a rare fusion: a rigorous technological perspective blended with civilizational introspection. His background as a computer scientist lends credibility to his technical observations, while his command of Indic philosophy enables him to interrogate AI’s moral and existential dimensions with unusual clarity.
He doesn’t shy away from being the political. He astutely identifies India’s contemporary dilemmas, ranging from technological dependency to cultural insecurity, as the long shadows of colonial trauma. His critique of India’s post-colonial technocratic elite is pointed but never polemical. Instead, he advocates for a reawakening of civilizational confidence, suggesting that India must integrate its spiritual and philosophical inheritance with technological advancement to craft a truly sovereign path in the AI age.
✍️ Strengths of the Book :
🔸Multidimensional Analysis (spans technology, history, philosophy, and politics with seamless transitions)
🔸Clarity with Complexity
🔸Timely and Timeless (The book speaks to our present AI anxieties while rooting its reflections in centuries of philosophical inquiry)
✒️ Possible Improvements :
▪️For readers expecting a technical manual or predictive roadmap for AI’s future, this book may feel too abstract or speculative at times.
▪️The civilizational lens, while refreshing, might not appeal to readers who are steeped in purely empirical or secular academic traditions.
▪️Some parts might benefit from greater empirical illustration—for instance, concrete case studies showing how civilizational values shape AI deployment across cultures.
In conclusion, it is a bold, intellectually rich, and philosophically nuanced book. The author emerges not just as a technologist or historian, but as a civilizational thinker, one who urges us to look beyond mere efficiency and productivity in our AI pursuits. He reminds us that meaning, memory, and dignity are not optional footnotes but essential to any sustainable future with machines.
Displaying 1 of 1 review