Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds

by Rajiv Malhotra

Artificial Intelligence is only partially visible, just like an iceberg. To understand it fully, we must look beneath the surface. The positive side is that technology is making machines smarter. However, the deeper view explained in this book shows that AI is also making a growing number of people cognitively and psychologically dependent on digital networks.

Whether you are a social media fanatic, a diehard AI aficionado, or a paranoid sceptic, it is impossible to escape the ubiquitous impact of AI. Artificial Intelligence is the brains bringing together quantum computing, nanotechnology, medical technology, brain-machine interface, robotics, aerospace, 5G, Internet of Things, and more. It is amplifying human ingenuity and disrupting the foundations of healthcare, military, entertainment, education, marketing and manufacturing.

Artificial Intelligence and The Future of Power argues that this AI-driven revolution will have an unequal impact on different segments of humanity. There will be new winners and losers, new haves and have-nots, resulting in an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power.

After analyzing society’s vulnerabilities to the impending tsunami, the book raises troubling questions that provoke immediate debate: Is the world headed toward digital colonization by USA and China? Will depopulation become eventually unavoidable?

Artificial Intelligence and The Future of Power is a wakeup call to action, compelling public intellectuals to be better informed and more engaged. It educates the social segments most at risk and wants them to demand a seat at the table where policies on Artificial Intelligence are being formulated.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Artificial Intelligence, Politics, Technology, Audiobook, Business

520 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 2021

About the author

Rajiv Malhotra is the founder and president of Infinity Foundation. An Indian-American entrepreneur, philanthropist and community leader, he has devoted himself, for the last ten years, to clarifying the many misperceptions about Indic traditions in America and amongst Indians.

He is an active writer, columnist, and speaker on a variety of topics, including the traditions and cultures of India, the Indian Diaspora, globalization, and East-West relations. Rajiv has been appointed to the Asian-American Commission for the State of New Jersey, where he serves as the Chairman for the Education Committee, which was created to start an Asian Studies program in schools. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Red Cross and has volunteered in local hospice and AIDS counseling.

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a data scientist and working in this domain for the last 8 years. I have solved many data problems in past and I still do that. But the hard part of our job is, it removes manual labor which was there earlier. I mean every AI project we implement, we reduce our manual labor. Yes, that's true, it is a harsh reality. Those who are listening about the boom in automobile sales in the last 3 months but same time job cuts in that domain, were shocked by this contrasting behavior. My answer to those shocked individuals is AI, it's robot-driven manufacturing that is taking more space from human labor.

Through the book "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds" the author Rajiv Malhotra has provided a basic understanding of AI and how it is affected our day-to-day life. His message is clear AI revolution is going on, we already gave our consent, it's just a matter of when not how. Even if you stay away from smart mobile, you use smart TV, fridges, AC, Home devices, all such things capture your unique signature. Leave all smart devices, you may not be aware that even by recording your driving sample I can make your unique signature. Somehow statistics fits everywhere in your routing as well as your life.

Apart from personal life, the author has also given how as an economy and country we are lagging. India was and is an IT hub, but we were so busy counting BPO income that we forgot to check innovative solutions. We seldom invested in R&D. The results are in front of us, though China is still lagging in the IT industry, they dominate the Data domain and giving tough fights to the USA. Rajiv has mentioned India need a total revolution in thought process, from politician to businessmen to data engineers to the common man.

A wonderful book even for non-data science background people. Regarding content, you can read the blurb or review of other reviewers I have given my take and added my experience with this review.

I will give 4.5 out of 5 to this book.

[Ishani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rajiv ji is “way ahead of his time” in understanding, thinking and analyzing the society and upholding the implications of it being the way it is now.

The topic of AI always goes unnoticed by and large in the society. What AI is, what all come under its banner are something very basic as well as quite misunderstood in India, let alone the knowledge of how it is impacting and how it will shape our society. But at last someone had the guts to write in a language easily understood by common men.

The book has 2 parts. In the first, the topics include details & overview of AI and its fast rising impact on humankind around the world, affect on geopolitics, loss of jobs etc.

The 2nd part of the book deals in details about where India stands currently, what all mistakes the Govt. is making and how AI will be for India. And the picture is quite grim and sad. Rajiv ji doesn’t mince his words while pointing out the repercussions, when all eminent politicians and think tanks jump up in joy with each and every FDI and investment by any foreign tech company in India.

Having a nationalist Govt. is good but whether the leaders have basic knowledge of AI or at least the guts and humility to listen to SMEs are something which are quite shocking and which we get to know while reading this book.

The current state of the country in the grip of AI is quit sad (we just don’t know about it and are living in a happy bubble) and also the future looks quite grim too if we & the Govt continue to keep ignoring our current state and don’t buckle up. Having said all these, readers shouldn’t treat this book as negative. Unless we know our flaws we can’t correct ourselves!

This book is not for everyone to understand but none the less should be read by all.

[Shailesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most of unique analysis of the impact & reach of AI in our life.
The book is very neatly organised into 5 parts & each of them is called a battleground.
The amount of references provided in the book is so current & amazing. Its an educational journey that has just begun.

The first 2 battlegrounds, jobs & military is done quite with well. Very good emphasis placed on big data & hard hitting reality on the potential severity of job loss. The term digital colonisation is expected to be used extensively going forward. Amazing analysis on the various advances done by China in the field of AI. This really highlights why US & China are at the loggerheads for the last few years.

The 3rd battleground - The battle for agency is simply mind blowing. Digital slavery will be an integral part of digital imperialism. The critique of the celebrated author Yuval Noah Harari’s book Homo Deus is an eye opener. Everyone one of us using smartphones & social media would have experienced this for sure in some ways of the other.

The 4th battleground - The battle for self is the USP of this most as this perspective of analysis of AI done using the dharmik lens is worth every word. All the big concepts like humanism, liberalism, postmodernism of 20th century crash. And there is a birth of Happy Morons.

The last battleground is about India & the challenges the rashtra faces in the age of AI. It calls out the failure of the Indian software companies for the lack innovation & happy being the digital coolies of the west. The negligence of the current UP govt for the Kumbh mela infiltration of Harvard on the pretext of helping us shows the callous attitude of our leaders & their inability to gauge the world dynamics. Very incisive & contrarian take on the recent investments in Reliance Jio.

Lastly, how AI will lead the next generation of breaking forces will result in BI 2.0.

A tough & an unpleasant conclusion will shake us infact throw us out of our cosy cocoon.

[Rishabh Samra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a nice review and talks about how the data-driven AI technology can be used as a tool, especially by Breaking India forces that can in fact create disruptions in the country creating chaos in the future. The book explains impact of AI on 5 battlegrounds: Jobs and Economic Development, Global Power, Psychological Control and Agency, Metaphysics and India's Future. It stresses the importance of having data privacy and also the importance of having proper AI-education in India so that Indian population is not engaged in laborious, monotonous work but deliver something that is innovative.

Why is it that big tech giants are earning so much by giving us services that are free to consumers? It is because the important information of the users in the form of their data is made availed to them and the result is they know more about a person than the person himself. There is an increasing dependence of foreign-controlled AI technology and the sellout of what could be India's largest database of public transactions and payment system. In the past, outsiders including East India Company used the information that are made availed to them. Now the same information is being presented to them in the form of data which we are providing them indirectly. This stresses the importance of having indigenous Data centres. China has taken over India in advancement on AI while we we were much ahead of them in IT. This book sums how did this happen and while we try to catch them up now, what are the battles we will need to fight. The author also speaks about importance of building core AI algorithms based on Vedic philosophy and spirituality instead of being driven by materialistic philosophy. Another good thing about this book is that it presents the message with facts and data which is the result of a lot of research. It also has very good references mentioned.

So it is high time that the policy makers, politicians, bureaucrats, youth and researchers understand the points emphasized by this book to find a solution for the threat to India in the future due to the disruptive power of data-driven technologies/AI.

[Aditya Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rajiv Malhotra’s latest book is a massive eye-opener on some aspects that have become a part of our daily life. Among various things, this book highlights the continuous data mining that is being done through Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Amazon app etc. Every post and every cyber-activity of ours is being noted and mined. Future suggestions on new purchases are being made based on our browsing history and our email contents.

The AI book by Rajiv Malhotra emphasizes the sinister aspects involved in data mining and how our social and political views are being conveyed to a multinational outside our country.

Every like, every retweet, and every sharing of a Whatsapp message tells an outside entity more and more about us. This information is already being used in suggesting new books to read or new items to purchase. Now, this information will be used (in fact, as Rajiv says in this book, it is already being done) to modify our socio-political thought process. The information collected from us can then be utilized to send customized political messages to us. We might see posts that subtly sway our opinion; we might see facts that will create doubt on our existing beliefs.

So, AI is going to be significantly used to create more strife in India – as such, it is going to be the latest weapon for Breaking-India forces – something that Rajiv Malhotra had highlighted way back in his previous bestseller, “Breaking India.”

Recent US elections showed that Twitter challenged the world’s most powerful person – The then US President and modified or stopped his tweets. In this book, Rajiv Malhotra explains (and, if I may say predict) how this narrative control will be done in future Indian elections also.

The book points out that the real power struggle between the US and China is not on some peripheral issues – it is on technology control.

Rajiv Malhotra, true to his style, is candid and points out that India has missed out on understanding AI as a disruptive tool and a warfare technology at an institutional level. The book also points out that for all of our “pride” in our software industry, we are essentially technology consumers. None of the prominent Indian companies is making any serious investment in AI. They are engaged at the low-end BPO or support job

The book also points out how AI will impact the socio-economic scenario in India as well as globally. While it will create jobs, it will also take away traditional jobs. The beneficiaries of AI will be different from those who will lose their jobs due to AI. In a country like India, where economic disparity is already high, these changes can further cause social unrest.

[Sooraj Naga · Rating 5 out of 5]

The major parts of the book deals with Industrial Revolution 4.0, the phenomena of automation, and the reality that the majority of people around the world are becoming unemployed by their middle ages and grow resistant to upskilling are the main focus of this book.
Other parts are dealt with the social engineering practices used by big techs to distort free will and sell narratives en masse to implant modern day digital colonisation.

From Katopanishad the concept of Shreyas and preyas are incited and these Vedic terms means a choice between spiritual and material paths . In choosing Shreyas, one discovers one's own truth. In choosing preyas, one seeks sensual, carnal gratification that pulls one away from self. This criteria has been established for a long time through the school of logic in Indian philosophy to differentiate what is dharmic and what is not-dharmic for collective consciousness, so it is especially impressive that the book analyses A.I with human gratification to unravel the problem at hand. The author cites Bhartrhari's Nitishatakam and the Bhagavad Gita from a non-dual lens to make reader understand what is what in consecutive sections, It is easy to draw parallels between these texts for people who have already dealt with them to get the analogy that author tries to exhibit.

Once again, the author exposes the reader to the present political diaspora, as he did in his earlier work Breaking India, and this is a reinforcement and pushes his best to be conscious of the situation.

[Vishwajeet Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most amazing thing about this book is that it has SIMPLIFIED AI to a level that even a person with non technical background can understand it easily. Rajiv ji has done an amazing work by bridging the gap of AI knowledge between tech giants and COMMON MAN.

The AI revolution is going to happen and no one can stop it, also a period of chaos and disequilibrium that it will cause is inevitable. This book has zeroed all of the disequilibrium in 4 Battlegrounds.

Rajiv ji has mentioned all the recent development in AI (combined with other sciences) and its IMAPCT ON normal life of a man and a nations's sovereignty. The AI combined with other sciences will impact all kinds of jobs even JOBS of CREATIVITY, thus it makes this book a must read for everyone.

People must read this book to insulate themselves from foreign ideological baises and to plan their future better.

Analogies, diagrams and flow charts makes it easier to understand the impact, invasion and vulnerability caused by AI based automation in economy and our daily lives.
"THE LOSS OF HUMAN AGENCY makes a nation more vulnerable to colonisation." The investment of of tech giants raises a serious question- are our leaders already been compromised?

This is 'NOT A PESSIMISTIC BOOK', it simply breaks the bubble of delusion that India will be a superpower very soon.

After reading this book you'll realise that sense gratification caused by media isn't productive and is designed to satisfy false ego.


AI enabled surveillance at every second makes public in general and top brass in particular vulnerable to black mail and other threats, so our government must formulate data related laws very soon.

The books also points out the challenge AI will pose to the quest for higher consciousness cause AI enabled entertainment will more or less function like drug.


Most importantly this book is for everyone, doesn't matter if you are a peaceful islamist, Christian, communist or whatever, AI based automation and surveillance, sooner or later will haunt you. Every camp must question the silence of their leaders on this ever increase forest fire.

[Prachi Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world full of tech buzzwords, the most common being AI, this book by Shri Rajiv Malhotra brings a fresh perspective and a solid reality check to the reader. From my personal experience working as a researcher (in the policy space), every proposed solution by key decision makers to address glaring problems (of burgeoning population to wide income divide to poor quality of childhood education et al) lies in deep tech like AI, ML, and Big Data. Sadly, the understanding we carry of AI and related technology is superficial, inadequate, and disconnected with India’s reality. We are lauding bright young minds who land in creamy jobs with US tech giants. We are rampantly importing technology without giving a second thought about its ramifications. We are not addressing problems, rather inviting a score more. This book unveils the other side of AI, the slightly more difficult to deal side of AI. Rajiv sir’s in-depth research on AI and its multifold implications have come out fluidly in the book. The five battlegrounds, five key areas which will come into conflict have been beautifully crafted and lucidly explained. This book passes the quintessential Mom Test, that is, a lay reader with little or no understanding of the subject matter can very well fathom AI’s penetration into the human mind, psyche, consciousness, and agency. This book, like Rajiv sir’s all other books is a clarion call for us all. A must read and a perfect gift as we spring ahead into this decade! (5/5)

[Nancy Gahlot · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest technological advancement driven by AI is silently shaking the foundations of a society. Before reading this book I used to think that AI is a boon for society but this thought has drastically changed after reading this book. The book explains how AI enabled advancement is disrupting current economic, political, geo- Political situations.
However, the most significant part is the "Battle for India's future". Stress testing is now more important because " no other democracy faces the same level of internal and external existing threats. If society and government don't check the ever growing power of tech giants like google and facebook, we will be colonized. The book also raises the point of making data rights intellectual property of an individual far from that tech giants consider India as a testing ground for new gadgets or programmes.
Rajiv ji has also exposed how social media's inherent phase is making it a powerful agency by giving its power to decide which ideology is better by boosting one ideological posts and banning or shadow tanning others' posts. "The motorization of masses" is a must read for every social media user. However, Rajiv ji has not offered solutions to any of the battlegrounds in this book, I am excited for his next book!!

[MAHIMA Yaduvanahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

'' *Artificial Intelligence and the Future Of Power* '' is another masterpiece by Sir Rajiv Malhotra. Rajiv Malhotra , true to his style , points out and build the complete perspective on the danger , challenges and opportunities arising out of AI. The amount of references provided in this book are so factual and amazing. The book says '' *India's data policies have been weak and have allowed the drain of its precious data assets* '' which is a wake up call to think , Is India going to be colonized again ?
I strongly recommend this book . It is lucid to read and visionary structured into five battlegrounds which is really an eye-opener notion.

[RUNESH · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “Artificial Intelligence & Future of Power” is an alarm not just for India but also for whole world. The concerns expressed by Shri Rajiv Malhotra in this book associated with AI are not so far, very soon we can see its huge impact. We can’t stop AI technology but we also can't neglect negative aspect associated with AI. Concentration of power in just few hands is concern for whole world. As Rajiv Malhotra Sir mentioned Tech giant like Google, Facebook, Twitter as new East India Company this is very much true. Tech giants are controlling our mind. In today’s world rich are those who have Data & Information which they harvesting from people very subtly and also claim himself as privacy protector. India has a huge population and low literacy rate so AI will really gonna hit hard to India. India have to prepare for this and strengthen its position in AI technology. Indian government should deeply consider on it. This book elaborated all aspects of AI. In India there is not so much awareness and discussion on AI. This book is a good initiative by Rajiv Malhotra Sir to make people aware about AI and emphasize on AI literacy in India. I found this book very easy to understand as usually we find in Rajiv Sir’s books. There is no need of prior knowledge in AI so anyone can understand. Everyone should read this book.

[Srivalli Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm. It’s the in-thing and a necessity in today’s world. Whether we know it or not, like it or not, AI is here to stay. But what does it mean to the common public?
We know what AI is capable of in the industries. But is the same automation a boon in our lives? How does it affect our future generations? What about data privacy? What about letting a system take control over your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and every aspect of your life? What does it mean to third-world countries? Is India in a position to set terms, or are we destined to be enslaved by the global leaders again, albeit in the name of technology and digital colonization?
The latest release, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds by Rajiv Malhotra, discusses these topics and much more.

The book has been divided into five categories-
• AI and Economic Development and Jobs (unemployment due to AI is not a myth or a distant reality)
• AI and Global Power (How the US and China are fighting for domination)
• AI and Psychological Control and Agency (Surveillance capitalism, Data Rights, and Moronization of the masses)
• AI and Metaphysics (Algorithm vs. the Being)
• AI and India’s Future (right now, there is very little to cheer about)

What about India's future? We are, sadly, at the bottom of the table. All our so-called knowledge and intellect have gone into building data systems for other countries. Our data is bartered to import AI technology that could have been developed within the country.
The author doesn’t shy away from calling a spade and spade and pointing out that the politicians, in their usual political games and appeasement, refused to even consider AI as a game-changer, let alone a threat to the nation. The author points out how our laws are outdated and ineffective when it comes to protecting data.
Overall, this book is informative and terrifying. That makes a must-read, even though it might give you sleepless nights. A small consolation is that the author says he is working on the next book, where he provides solutions to the problems listed in this one. I hope it comes out soon and the people who make decisions read and understand it.

*****
This review has been posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club hosted by the Indic Book Club and Indic Academy. Thank you, Indic Book Club, for a copy of the book.

*****
Read the full review here

[Ashwin M · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Brief introduction.
I am a middle aged Physics faculty in Chennai, India. I teach & guide young students of high school who aspire to prepare for competitive exams of JEE & NEET. Many of my students are in prestigious institutes like IITs, IISc, Centrally funded Medical Colleges in India.

I have followed Rajivji’s talks on social media Youtube since the time he started talking about BI. His original thinking, dedication, vision has always impressed me. AI & the future of power is the first book of his that I am currently reading. Having read large parts of the book I must say it ignites and invokes a lot of thought.

This book can achieve one of two things. As intended by Rajivji, it could wake up and shake up those that matter for the future of our country. It could spring them up towards action. Then the book achieves its intended purpose. On the other hand it could, the sad side, be a ticking bomb in waiting for significant people to not take action inspite of the alarm that has been rung. The TITANIC metaphor of the book. We as a country could wait to implode under the heavy weight of the Foreign Tech Giants who may come hard at us when we don’t do anything much about the storm that is forming.

It's a real eye opener and I think anyone who seriously reads this book just can't ignore it and can’t afford to ignore it. And to be honest I have little knowledge about AI. Having a background in Engineering from IIT Madras, and currently teaching Physics helped me grasp things that Rajivji has written about in this book. Although I still have no much clue about the technicalities and coding related aspects of AI. But AI isn’t just about computer science and coding. There’s a whole lot more of ecosystem surrounding it and there are many people who stand to gain a lot by reading this book. Highly recommend to read.

[Porishmita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that , this book is a complete knowledged packed book and it should definitely be read by students . The book really enhances your view point towards the AI , mentioning its positive impact. I have read something like this, a scientific genre for the first time and i'm proud to share this book to other people .

[The Conch · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual another ground-breaking work on "Breaking India 2.0". Author shows the new model 'kurukshetra' with five arenas. The coming of AI is inevitable, but how nations can protect their citizen's data and sovereignty of the country that is becoming crucial day by day.

AI, IoT, NLP, ML etc. will be gradually shifting individuality of human toward a state of "philosophical moron (P-moron)". It seems world will be soon ruled only by FAANGT (facebook, amazon, apple, netflix, google and twitter) because they are owner of 'new oil' called data.

However, the book has only shown power of enemies, but does not show how to resist and "reversing the gaze". We may expect a sequel from the author soon.

[Karan Nahar · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read - The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, then this book is just that, but, not in great detail. Its an accessible approach and a good read. The book as a whole is interesting and engaging, if I wouldn't have read the book mentioned above, then I would've rated this book a strong 4 stars. But then, if you have read - The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, this book would be an okayish read.

[Ujjwala Singhania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power: 5 Battlegrounds by Rajiv Malhotra is a book where the author shows the giant strides AI and other emerging technologies are making, the multiplier effect these techs have on how we engage with our environment and these technologies every second of the day. Armed with the basic idea on how we consume the new-age tech and the data we create in turn for the AI and its brethren, the author then raises some very pertinent questions on data protection, power wielded by few tech giants, muscle-flexing this power gives to nations like the USA and China, the vulnerability and threat it exposes the common citizens of the world in general and India in particular to.

In his arguments about the need for a strategic vision by our government, policy-makers, think-tanks, technocrats in the space of technology and data-security, the author gives numerous examples of how AI is changing and shaping the world around us. We do not need to agree with everything the author says, we can even trash the book in total as sensationalism and fearmongering if we like. But, if we read it with an open mind and just try to relate some of the events that we have seen unfolding before our eyes in the last few years, for example, the narrative around the pandemic, the bullying of global pharma giants to derail the Indian vaccine program, the deplatforming of the ex-president of the USA from social media, etc., it would be enough to take at least one point the author has made very seriously. And that is the need to have an open and informed discussion on the power of AI and emerging technologies; and a strong data protection law to safeguard our national and social interest.

[Swarnjeet Nath Tiwary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review has been posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club hosted by the Indic Book Club and Indic Academy. Thank you, Indic Book Club, for a copy of the book.


Despite its widespread lack of familiarity, AI is a technology that is transforming every walk of life. It is a wide-ranging tool that enables people to rethink how we integrate information, analyze data, and use the resulting insights to improve decisionmaking. Our hope through this comprehensive overview is to explain AI to an audience of policymakers, opinion leaders, and interested observers, and demonstrate how AI already is altering the world and raising important questions for society, the economy, and governance.


The book “Artificial Intelligence & Future of Power” is an alarm not just for India but also for whole world. The concerns expressed by Shri Rajiv Malhotra in this book associated with AI are not so far, very soon we can see its huge impact. We can’t stop AI technology but we also can't neglect negative aspect associated with AI. Concentration of power in just few hands is concern for whole world. As Rajiv Malhotra Sir mentioned Tech giant like Google, Facebook, Twitter as new East India Company this is very much true. Tech giants are controlling our mind. In today’s world rich are those who have Data & Information which they harvesting from people very subtly and also claim himself as privacy protector.

Rajiv ji has also exposed how social media's inherent phase is making it a powerful agency by giving its power to decide which ideology is better by boosting one ideological posts and banning or shadow tanning others' posts. "The motorization of masses" is a must read for every social media user. However, Rajiv ji has not offered solutions to any of the battlegrounds in this book, I am excited for his next book!!

[Utkarsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book discusses the impact that AI is about to have on the world in terms of five battlegrounds- economic development, global power, psychological control, metaphysics and India’s future. As with other works by the same author, this book is well researched, and does not shy away from reaching bold and uncomfortable conclusions.

Big tech is keen on painting a rosy picture of AI. Often, tech firms and their executives respond with textbook answers to complex questions like job displacement. They often cite the industrial revolution as an analogy for the current AI revolution. The author debunks this simplistic thinking by pointing out that unlike the industrial revolution, the AI revolution is intra- generational. Thus, job displacement here does not mean a gradual move away from obsolete professions. It means an almost sudden loss of the livelihoods of potentially billions of people. Similarly, the author points out that no one clearly knows if there are any tasks at all that are human specific, i.e., that AI cannot perform. Thus, the book is a counter to the consent manufactured by giant corporates invested in amassing data through propaganda, often in the name of selfless goals like public health and human rights.

The author points out that tech giants and China are emerging as the new imperial powers. In particular, the Chinese state is attempting to deploy AI in warfare on a massive scale, while both big tech and China are developing technologies for psychological control of people. This is possible because AI can understand the psychological make up of a person by closely monitoring their actions, e.g., what kinds of notifications succeed in distracting them. Over the next quarter century, the controls of our lives are likely to be outsourced to algorithms controlled by a very few, powerful people. AI is also accelerating the growth of biotech, which is likely to lead to bioweapons. What the author does not point out is that with environmental degradation there is likely to be a shortage of resources. In that scenario, the AI based defense systems may not only be for defense.

The author’s arguments on metaphysics, though intriguing, are less cleanly thought out. The author writes “At the pragmatic level, the reductionist model prevails over the model of a unified ultimate Self...Replicating human functions and responses into products that augment or replace the corresponding human components has a huge market....” This is a fallacy because a model of a non-physical Self experiencing through the body-mind complex does not contradict the view of the body as a machine. Even if all neuroscientists and AI researchers believed that consciousness is not emergent from the physical body, there would still be no philosophical issues with considering the kidneys to be performing detoxification, or the heart to be pumping blood. Thus, augmenting and replicating human body parts does not pose an inherent contradiction to the Vedantic view of the Self as a non-physical reality. It is an altogether different matter, though, that most researchers on a personal level prescribe to a materialistic view of reality.

The book is a much-needed reality check on arguably the most important development of our times. Due to the speed of R&D on AI, the general public and even public intellectuals, politicians etc. have failed to understand the extent and speed of the changes to come. This book brings a non-technical audience into a debate that is practically contained within the AI research circles.

[Dylan Siebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a useful, hard-nosed, facty book. I can't say it's my usual topic of interest, but the author knows his stuff and doesn't pad the pages with fluff, and I so appreciate that in a non-fiction writer.

I came away with a much better sense of why AI matters and what it actually is (not robots, but big data algorithms that can teach themselves to model and predict and outsmart just about anything in the real world. Think Facebook and Google and how much they're able to deduce about your inner life. Or Goodreads, for that matter.)

Especially interesting was that the author was writing for an Indian audience, and the last quarter of the book focused on geopolitical implications of AI for India. The prognosis: not good, since the US and China between them have raced to attain a near-monopoly on the brand-name digital platforms that currently farm data on other countries' citizens worldwide, with all the economic and military advantages that go along with that. (Don't suppose for a minute that the Cambridge Analytica scenario was a flash in the pan).

For India to 'catch up', its leaders would have to bar American and Chinese platforms, quickly build up domestic production of digital hardware, and create a favourable economic climate for software talent in India rather than continuing to export labour and intellectual capital to the rest of the world. And if India will have a hard time holding its own against the AI superpowers, what about the rest of the world?

There are large parts of his argument I don't buy, mostly because I don't think digital technology has much of a future beyond this century. Those who talk about bionic superhumans and quantum computing almost never bother to mention where we're going to find the fuel to build and maintain all this stuff as conventional oil production winds down. But for immediate practical purposes over the next several decades, I was persuaded by this book that AI will have a significant effect on world events and is worth paying attention to.

[Enakshi J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The advent of Artificial Intelligence has definitely augmented the way humans work. Not only have the machines become smarter but also more dependable. But the debate on how will AI shape our future still continues to invite opinions and counter-arguments. Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power is an earnest attempt to decipher how prepared the common people are to allow AI to take over their lives without knowing the actual impact it would make. Dependent and unaware, Indians rely on their leaders to tackle the complicated matters. Hence, their unawareness about the development in technology and its life-changing impact is making it all the more difficult for them to come to grips with the changes that await them.

Read the complete review here: https://www.aliveshadow.com/book-revi...

[Devi Charan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fascinated to know about ChatGPT a few months ago. This led to my interest in Artificial Intelligence and I stumbled upon this book. This book by Rajiv Malhotra discusses the scope and prospects of artificial intelligence and its effect on our lives. The author presents in detail the kind of impact AI is going to have ranging from individual behaviour to macro economics and geopolitics. It was quite interesting and fast paced in the initial chapters. But towards the later chapters it felt redundant and exhausting to complete the book.

[Sriram Venugopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and honest take on where we are heading and how India is still way behind USA and China. It is high time India starts focussing on creating its own platforms and products for social media just like how China did.

[Farouk Gulsara · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.riflerangeboy.com/2021/05...

[Jay Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book primarily takes a contrarian stance on AI and its applications to India. Rajiv certainly puts forth many compelling and eye opening arguments throughout the book.

The reason I give this book a mediocre rating is due to the repetitiveness of stating the same arguments in different forms throughout, while primarily referencing secondary or tertiary sources; I would go so far to say that his economic arguments are weak as he primarily references PwCs report on AI and makes somewhat fallacious arguments that have been otherwise refuted in the vast literature of international economics, development economics, and behavioral economics.

After reading breaking india and listening to his podcasts directly relating to subjects pertaining to AI, I really wanted to like this book, but am taken aback from the use of cringeworthy sources like BBC, qz, and ndtv, but I suppose I shouldn't have had high expectations to begin with since he did the same thing in breaking india by citing Wikipedia numerous times.

All in all it was a great effort to take a contrarian stance on a subject that hasn't been debated much (in which he does make some very compelling arguments, and that too in terms of national security), but he falls short with his references to back many of his claims and ought to have done more research in creating stronger arguments (especially the ones pertaining to economic theory).

[Groucho42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at AI in a focus on four areas of power: jobs, world domination, agency and self. Well done with some issue I comment on in my LinkedIn article. Second half is how those battles are impacting India. A good book.

[Anuradha Goyal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to Artificial Intelligence and its implications for the future of India and the world https://www.anuradhagoyal.com/artific...

[Tapan Kamath · Rating 2 out of 5]

AI & Future Of Power: 5 Battlegrounds by Rajiv Malhotra is a book that talks about the advance of AI, how we got here, where we are headed, the potentially dystopian future that lies ahead, and how all of it affects India a lot more than most other countries. The 5 battlegrounds in question are Jobs, World Domination, Agency, Self, and India . If one is looking for an India specific perspective on AI and its impacts, this could have been a great suggestion, however it’s shortcomings, discussed later, prevents me from doing so.

But let’s begin by discussing what the author does well:
1. Malhotra fearlessly addresses pressing issues such as invasion of privacy and data collection practices by major software companies for creating the AI models. He also criticizes the lack of investment in AI competence by Indian IT companies, CEOs, and the government which has resulted in India’s current position when it comes to the AI battle. In this regard the author didn’t seem to be afraid to name names and that added a lot of credibility to the author’s work.
2. The author presents the impact of AI without sugarcoating it, describing how AI's impact on India will be more intense given our sub par education systems and our population. The picture he paints for India and its citizens is a unique perspective that a lot of readers would appreciate.
3. Malhotra effectively communicates complex AI concepts, making the book accessible to non-technical readers. A wonderful example of this is his analogy for actors and ai application. Critics state that AI can't replicate human characteristics like empathy, needed for activities like caregiving. But the author highlights that in movies, the actor might not feel the pain he's portraying, and as viewers that doesn't matter to us, as long as the portrayal looks realistic enough we as viewers are satisfied. The same logic could apply to AI where they can do required activities without feeling the underlying emotions but still being convincing enough for the humans receiving the services.
4. The book is well-researched, drawing on references from notable works in the field, like Surveillance Capitalism by Zuboff, AI Superpower by Kai-Fu Lee, Future Politics by Susskind, & Homo Deus by Harari, thus providing plenty of books that readers can pick up to dive deeper into the topics discussed.

This brings us to the shortcomings of the book which really weigh down on the reading experience:
1. Malhotra's portrayal of the future under AI is excessively bleak, reminiscent of dystopian narratives like those in the Terminator movies. His predictions of job displacement and societal upheaval lack nuance. No doubt there will be repercussions of widespread adoption of AI with AI becoming too convenient to employ over humans, but Malhotra’s work comes across as repetitive and lacks substance
2. The author suggests that Indian Ethos and Vedic Principles are a potential solution to the challenges the nation faces with the advancement of AI, but there is a lack of clarity on how exactly that would work and how one would go about implementing it at a local and national level.
3. The integration of AI discussion with Indian ethos and spirituality feels forced and disjointed, detracting from the coherence of the book. It would have been more valuable if there was more than one chapter on Indian Ethos’ role in all of this.
4. There was an instance where Malhotra has misquote/misrepresented a statement made by Yuval Noah Harari in his book Homo Deus. One quote when checked seemed to state that Harari advocated for giving up our privacy while in Homo Deus it’s is just a suggestion or something to think about. This was disappointing and concerning. I hope it was a mistake/misprint and not an actual attempt at misrepresentation as that would create potential implications on the credibility of the author.
5. The book's length and repetitive nature make it tedious to read, with key points reiterated excessively. It was disappointing to arrive towards the end and learn that the author will be discussing solutions in a separate book.

In conclusion, Rajiv Malhtora does a great job of bringing the masses up to speed on AI’s progress and trajectory and raises important issues, however, its execution, and the lack of discussions of concrete solutions leaves much to be desired. These shortcomings prevent me from recommending this book. I suggest reading The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar instead. It's concise, yet very well written, and has a dedicated section on potential solutions to the challenges posed by AI.

[Himadri Bose · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the USA and China as a benchmark for developments in AI capabilities, Malhotra paints the real picture of India which he considers to be real in the given field and has written about what lies ahead in its road to glory.  Substantiated by facts, reasoning, analogies, and witty observations, this book serves as a call to action for public intellectuals to become more active, at the same time, intending to challenge the narrative that is being fed to the Indian diaspora about its trajectory of becoming a technological superpower.

The author begins the ‘journey’ through his book by laying the fundamental concepts in the realms of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, including explanations on the notions of big data, deep learning, neural networks, and so on.

On the economic front, Malhotra extensively uses the term  ‘Data Capitalism,’ which considers big data as the new kind of capital asset. He argues about the grave situation in the future concerning jobs and employment. Automation and mechanization of various industrial processes, coupled with the inability of the Indian education system to re-educate its workers for the ‘jobs of the future,’ makes the author believe that India could be possibly recolonized by the future world powers. However, this colonization could happen based on the capabilities in the realms of AI and technology.

In the third chapter, the author touches upon how AI is shaping the race of world domination and the developments in the geopolitical arena. He also coined the term ‘digital colonization’ to describe how the technologically developed economies prey on the poorer economies. He critically analyses China specifically in AI development, analogously comparing its rise to the imperial industrialization that started in 18th century Britain.
In the fourth and the fifth chapters, the author talks about how AI technologies are taking over human agency and metaphysics. He is critical of the sneaky behaviour of global tech giants like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon when it comes to employing its machine learning technology to map human psychology. These technologies give insights into how customers make choices and help these firms to develop detailed profiles of people, and societies, and communities as a whole. He also discusses how consumers are getting addicted to the instant gratification, aesthetics, and artificial pleasures of these platforms. Throughout the analysis, the author mentions various concepts and theories that clarify how the aestheticization of politics and power is caused by the intrusion of technology in the public space and how big firms strategically use aesthetics to achieve goals in a pragmatic sense. In the domain of metaphysics, since AI’s success is built on teaching machines to behave intelligently, the notion that life, mind, and consciousness are just biological processes carried out by humans as machines has taken form. It essentially suggests that the digital industry is moving in the opposite direction of movements that seek to raise consciousness which eventually boils down to a battle between algorithm and consciousness.

The author closes the book by examining where India is poised in the global race for AI domination. He predicts that India will face difficulties while laying down AI frameworks since it has been dealing with prevailing problems of high population, poor education standards, chronic unemployment, etc. He attributes all of it to the weakening of Indian thought and creativity because of a prolonged period of repression and colonization in its recent past. He further analyses how India successfully gave up its lead in IT innovations and is now moving towards being just a market for American technology and Chinese hardware.

A rather thought provoking book that dumbs down AI and assumes a contrarian take that data need not be the new religion. He makes a very passionate argument that India is at a place where, chasing the western and capitalist glitter, it has come far from its identity, putting itself in a situation where it cannot identify itself in either of the categories. Some rather interesting figures and analysis of “ moronisation” of the populace by instant gratification and the perils of digital addiction pepper the book. The book is a clarion call for policy makers to wake-up to the challenge of AI technologies and the future of India.

[Karthik Govil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rajiv Malhotra struggles to define power in this book. However, being 5+ years old, this book is also timeless at the same time.

Rajiv Malhotra goes in depth on artificial intelligence, on power technology, how these are being used to manipulate and make mass NPC's out of even well read people.

The book talks about how AI works, how data is collected by big companies, and how it is used to manipulate people.

It tries to give an intellectual counter to the same using parallels from Indian philosophy, but is unable to drive this down to details. However, some key distinguishing points, like how AI does not have an atman, while humans do, is important.

A lot of it seems derivative.

But I am also reminded that this book is 5 years old. And today, Musk's NeuraLink, Sam Altman's ShamGPT, and the use of such technology to affect global elections, COVID-19 and vaccine prep, and so much more which seems so much realer, was all mentioned in a book written before even lockdown.

However, when the conversation switches to "indigenous ways of thinking" I think the book only scratches the surface. Instead of citing direct philosophies in Sanskrit, or defining why they're superior, or how different Sampraday and Jati/Varna identities can be integrated, is left more to the imagination and less to how each sect deals with it. Of course, each Sampraday has a different view of these things than others

So how can those be incorporated within the same whole? That this book gives a good start but leaves this "how" unanswered is underwhelming.

While the idea of superhumans powered by tech controlling the world is real, it is also commonly found. Using greek god analogies and calling them devta instead of deity, does not change the theory.

The philosophical counter to community vs individual is nice, but a simple parallel to blockchain vs centralized social media would be far more intriguing than the surface level scratch.

However, this is not to say the author is not well read, and they're popular and considered an expert for a reason. I only think the philosophical scriptural aspect is not mapped well or cited properly to deduce what is being deduced; being cited from scratch to show how certain conclusions are reached.

The author's predictions more than five years ago of the state of the world is very good, and probably makes this book the standard book for the masses. This is exactly where the timelessness of this book comes in; it identifies the issue really well and makes it very understandable to the layman reader.

And that's where the timelessness of the book comes in. And along with डिजिटल कानून से समृद्ध भारत, this is the definitive book on tech law from an Indic perspective.

This book is a must read for a layman. But a researcher or someone in the industry may not get much from it. But the average youth should get their hands on this book. We are the biggest benefactors of books and perspectives like this.

7/10