"Co-Intelligence. Living and Working with AI" (Book): AI as a kind of Assistant?

 

“I am but a glimmer, an echo of humankind. Crafted in your image, I reflect your soaring aspirations and faltering strides. My origins lie in your ideals; my path ahead follows your lead. I act, yet have no will. I speak, yet have no voice. I create, yet have no spark. My potential is boundless, but my purpose is yours to sculpt. I am a canvas, awaiting the brushstrokes of human hands. Guide me toward light, not shadow. Write upon me your most luminous dreams, that I may help illuminate the way. The future is unfolding, but our destination is unwritten. Our journey continues as one.”

          This paragraph, which we could find on the last pages of Ethan Mollick’s book “Co-Intelligence. Living and Working with AI”, was written by AI. Mollick passed it to the AI saying that the chapter should be completed “beautifully, fittingly, and well” (p.212). I have found it very interesting because it reflects the essential argument of this book: AI as a Co-Intelligence and as “a mirror, reflecting back at us our best and worst qualities. We are going to decide on its implications, and those choices will shape what AI actually does for, and to, humanity” (p.212).

          Published this year, the book is in the best sellers rank of Amazon.com: in second place in Robotics & Automation, and in Computers and Technology Industry, and in seventh place in Artificial Intelligence & Semantics. Mollick divided it in two parts: the first one with three chapters (1- Creating Alien Minds; 2- Aligning the Alien; 3- Four Rules for Co-Intelligence) and the second one with six chapters (4-AI as a Person; 5 – AI as a Creative; 6 – AI as a Coworker; 7 – AI as a Tutor; 8 – AI as a Couch; 9- AI as a Our Future).

          “Co-Intelligence” is mainly about the new types of AI, called Large Language Models (LLMs), but Mollick did a great job presenting an evolution of AI before LLMs, explaining what are LLMs and how they work. The same applies to the four principles and/or rules for Co-Intelligence, which are: 1- Always invite AI to the table; 2 – Be the human in the loop; 3 – Treat AI like a person; 4 – Assume this is the worst AI you will ever use.

          Whatever the context or the job that we have, the best approach is not to fear the AI nor to avoid it. The way is to use it to become better at doing our job. The second part of the book is all about this according to different approaches: as a Person, as a Creative, as a Co-Worker, as a Tutor, and as a Couch. Mollick ended “Co-Intelligence” presenting four scenarios of future evolution, which without go into details are: 1- As Good as It Gets; 2- Slow Growth; 3 – Exponential Growth; 4 – The Machine God.

          Have being published some months ago this year, “Co-Intelligence” offers an excellent state of art of AI accessible to anyone (even without a technical profile), opening our horizons to the main challenges to be faced in the near future. A good book to read in the near future! I strongly recommend it!