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How AI Thinks: How We Built It, How It Can Help Us, and How We Can Control It Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Nigel Toon (Author), Joe Jameson (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.2 out of 5 stars 112 ratings

Brought to you by Penguin.

Those who understand how AI thinks are about to win big.

We are used to thinking of computers as being a step up from calculators - very good at storing information, and maybe even at playing a logical game like chess. But up to now they haven't been able to think in ways that are intuitive, or respond to questions as a human might. All that has changed, dramatically, in the past few years.

Our search engines are becoming answer engines. Artificial intelligence is already revolutionising sectors from education to healthcare to the creative arts. But how does an AI understand sentiment or context? How does it play and win games that have an almost infinite number of moves? And how can we work with AI to produce insights and innovations that are beyond human capacity, from writing code in an instant to unfolding the elaborate 3D puzzles of proteins?

We stand at the brink of a historic change that will disrupt society and at the same time create enormous opportunities for those who understand how AI thinks. Nigel Toon shows how we train AI to train itself, so that it can paint images that have never existed before or converse in any language. In doing so he reveals the strange and fascinating ways that humans think, too, as we learn how to live in a world shared by machine intelligences of our own creation.

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Previous slide of product details
  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 47 minutes
  2. Author
    Nigel Toon
  3. Narrator
    Joe Jameson
  4. Audible release date
    8 Feb. 2024
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B0CJ5KLDPG
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 47 minutes
Author Nigel Toon
Narrator Joe Jameson
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.co.uk Release Date 08 February 2024
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0CJ5KLDPG
Best Sellers Rank

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
112 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this AI book insightful, with one noting how it covers a wide range of topics. Moreover, the book is genuinely great and entertaining to read, while being very accessible. Additionally, customers appreciate its pacing, with one review mentioning how it breaks down complex concepts without being patronizing. They also value its relevance, with one customer highlighting its coverage of actual and potential applications.

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IntelligenceReadabilityAccessibilityPacingRelevance
6 customers mention ‘Intelligence’5 positive1 negative

Customers find the book insightful, with one noting how it covers a wide range of topics.

"An insightful book on AI by one of its originators." Read more

"Absolutely loved this book, such a comprehensive guide to all that AI is and can be in the future, if navigated correctly...." Read more

"...explains what AI is, how it differs from human intelligence, what's driven it to date, actual and potential applications, what's holding it back,..." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book. Artificial intelligence is becoming an important technology and we all need to take time to understand it better - the..." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Readability’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book genuinely great and entertaining to read.

"This is a very good book where the experience of the author shows. It is a bit waffly at some places, which is a shame. Otherwise worth a look." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book...." Read more

"Absolutely loved this book, such a comprehensive guide to all that AI is and can be in the future, if navigated correctly...." Read more

"A genuinely great read that breaks a complex down simply without being patronising...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Accessibility’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very accessible.

"...This book covers a lot of ground but in a really accessible way with some great story telling, making it a really enjoyable read. Highly recommended" Read more

"...’s book is a perfectly balanced, unbiased, essential and accessible read on AI for everyone that tells the story of how we got here, where AI might..." Read more

"Very accessible and entertaining read..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pacing’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing, with one noting how it breaks complex concepts down simply without being patronizing, while another mentions it is not too technical.

"Excellent, readable, not too technical" Read more

"A genuinely great read that breaks a complex down simply without being patronising...." Read more

"...and we all need to take time to understand it better - the underlying technology, how it can help us as a tool, and how we need to ensure it is used..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Relevance’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book relevant, with one mentioning its actual and potential applications.

"Nigel’s book is a perfectly balanced, unbiased, essential and accessible read on AI for everyone that tells the story of how we got here, where AI..." Read more

"...from human intelligence, what's driven it to date, actual and potential applications, what's holding it back, how it could/should be regulated, and..." Read more

"Very useful book..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

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  • Judith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr informativ!
    Reviewed in Germany on 27 May 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Gutes Buch, einfach zu lesen, viel gelernt. Habe mir das Buch aufgrund einer Empfehlung in der ‚Financial Times‘ gekauft, sehr gut!
    Report
  • Thomas Wessely
    5.0 out of 5 stars História da computação
    Reviewed in Brazil on 21 September 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    A história do transistor
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  • Gangadhar Samal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ok
    Reviewed in India on 28 September 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Timely delivered.
    Report
  • Mayuresh Kulkarni
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in India on 28 March 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I have worked for one of the company founded by Nigel. He is visionary and knows his stuff. All of his experience and AI knowledge is articulated through the book. It provides insights to anyone who wants to know more about AI, the tech behind it, its applications and potential issues with it.
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  • Robin Balsiger
    1.0 out of 5 stars Vague, full of inaccuracies and misinformation. The worst non-fiction I've ever read
    Reviewed in Germany on 28 February 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    This was one of the worst non-fiction books I've ever read. At the beginning it's all over the place and it takes about half the book to even get to AI. All the while using either bad (and sometimes loaded) metaphors or simply asserting things that are incorrect. The author reads like someone who has listened to a lot of podcast on his way to work and half remembers most things, so he throws them in to sound smart and well-read. Unfortunately for the reader most of what he remembers is full of inaccuracies so even all the interesting side remarks must be taken with a heavy grain of salt to the degree where I'm not sure I even learned anything, because I feel I'd want to double check any claims made in this book after stumbling upon my 20th wrong claim from the author.

    When it comes to AI itself, he doesn't even explain anything really. Just more vague assertions and bad metaphors. And of course, more inaccuracies and/or simply incorrect statements. There are some interesting chapters about the potential socio-economic impact but at that point I'm wary from all the wrong claims he made to even take those at face value, so who knows if any of that is well researched or just more of the authors opining based on vague recollections of headlines he once read.
    The worst thing is the author doesn't even seem to realize how he's not explaining stuff, since he uses phrases towards the end of the book like "As I've explained" or "As we've learned by now" when in reality no such thing has happened and no explanation has been given.

    So I'd heavily recommend against ever reading this book. It does flow well so in that sense it reads well, but the sheer amount of misinformation combined with an almost complete lack of explaining anything regarding AI (or sometimes just providing misinformation about AI) will just leave the reader less well informed than if they' never taken up the book, but with a false confidence, which makes it even more difficult to get good information in later
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