Homo Deus: Controversial Impacts of Modern Technologies and Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Mankind

Since the twentieth century, from the advent of computers to the Internet and finally to artificial intelligence, technology has been developing at a tremendous speed. It brings dramatic changes to human life, and even influences our own memory, attention, and perception. Before the invention of printing technology in China, people had to memorize a sea of ancient records to be able to discuss national issues. In contrast, in our world today, we may not even remember our mother’s cellphone number. In ancient times, humans had an intimate relationship with nature. They worked according to the sunlight. To avoid being harmed, they had to be vigilant and focused all the time, listening attentively to the rustle of grass in case of poisonous snakes. They paid close attention to the smell of the wind to judge if there were any fierce beasts present. They must fully concentrate when foraging for mushrooms to avoid poisonous ones. However, nowadays, we are no longer sensitive to all these things. We have turned all our attention to the wonderful virtual world, because technology can help us solve most of the problems in our life.

Before we realize it, technology has become the most important thing that dominates our life. However, while enjoying its numerous benefits, will we encounter unprecedented challenges with the expected prevalence of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and big data in the near future? The book Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow makes an in-depth exploration and analysis to answer this question. Backed with substantial evidence, it boldly conceives the future of human destiny. What’s more, it meditates on issues that we barely think about or have no answer for, guiding us to boundlessly imagine our future. This book has received tremendous positive reviews from the public, and was included in Bill Gates’ summer reading list. It is also highly acclaimed by many leading newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, and New Scientist.