Essential AI Reading from 2024
If there’s a venerable Golden Rule in writing, it’s this: To be a writer, you must first be a reader.
Over the past year, I’ve devoured a steady diet of books that range from business to marketing to AI, hungry for context, inspiration, and ideas.
And while there have been a number of books that I’ve found useful in shaping my thinking around AI, there are five that I read this year that are worth highlighting.
Together, they provide a comprehensive perspective on the Age of AI that’s both practical and forward-looking. If you end up reading one of them, drop me a line and let me know what you thought.
- Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick.
If there’s on book on AI that you read in 2025, make it this one. Mollick’s insights on AI use and transformation have been foundational to my thinking and his latest work crystallizes what many organizations are discovering: that the real power of AI lies not in automation but in augmentation. His research-backed approach to human-AI collaboration offers practical frameworks that organizations can actually use. It’s also completely approachable.
Key quote: “You don’t know what AI is good for or bad for inside your job or your industry. Nobody knows. The only way to figure it out is disciplined experimentation. Just use it a lot for everything you possibly can.”
Released in 2021, Genius Makers reads like a novel you can’t put down. Metz, who’s a New York Times reporter deeply resourced in the world of technology, delves into the captivating history of artificial intelligence, focusing on the key individuals who pioneered its development and brought it to the forefront of technology. From Elon Musk to Sam Altman to the Godfather of AI himself, Geoffrey Hinton, the book chronicles the researchers and entrepreneurs who built the foundations of modern AI. It’s an engrossing and illuminating read that clearly lays out the reality of what’s at stake.
Key takeaway: The competitive dynamics that shaped AI’s development continue to influence its trajectory, making it crucial for businesses to understand this historical context.
- The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-First Century’s Greatest Dilemma by Mustafa Suleyman.
In this insightful and timely book, Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind and Inflection AI, delves into the transformative potential and risks of AI. Drawing on his firsthand experience in the forefront of AI development, Suleyman provides a clear-eyed assessment of the technology’s potential to revolutionize various aspects of our lives while also highlighting the critical challenges we face, such as job displacement, algorithmic bias, and the potential for misuse. He emphasizes the need for responsible development and deployment of AI and explores the roles of businesses, governments, and individuals in shaping the future of this powerful technology. No matter who you are of where you are in your AI journey, this book offers valuable insights and a roadmap for navigating the coming wave of AI.
Key takeaway: The future of AI is not predetermined. We have the power to shape its development and ensure it benefits humanity. By fostering responsible innovation, addressing ethical concerns, and promoting collaboration between stakeholders, we can harness the transformative potential of AI while mitigating its risks.
I saw Mike Walsh deliver a keynote at an AI conference I attended in 2024 and knew I had to read his book. Spoiler alert: it did not disappoint. In The Algorithmic Leader, which came out in 2019, long before the launch of ChatGPT, Walsh explores the profound impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work and leadership. He argues that the rise of AI necessitates a new set of leadership skills and strategies, while emphasizing the importance of developing uniquely human qualities such as creativity, emotional intelligence, and ethical decision-making to thrive in an increasingly automated world. He provides practical advice for leaders to navigate the challenges and leverage the opportunities presented by AI.
Key quote: “The most valuable leaders will be those who can not only understand and manage algorithms but also cultivate and amplify uniquely human qualities such as empathy, creativity, and ethical judgment.”
- The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI by Ray Kurzweil
Admittedly, this one is out there. But it’s worth reading nonetheless. Kurzweil is a renowned futurist, inventor, and author known for his predictions about the accelerating pace of technological progress and the imminent arrival of The Singularity, where human intelligence will merge with artificial intelligence. In this book, Kurzweil revisits his groundbreaking concept of the technological singularity, updating his predictions and exploring the latest advancements in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. He argues that we are closer than ever to a point where human intelligence will merge with artificial intelligence, leading to a profound transformation of human capabilities and consciousness. Kurzweil explores the implications of this convergence, including the potential to overcome aging, disease, and even death. Kurzweil’s insightful analysis and engaging writing style make this book a fascinating read for anyone interested in the future of technology and the potential for human enhancement.
Key quote: “We are on the cusp of a new era in which human intelligence will be amplified and extended by powerful technologies, leading to a profound transformation of our species.”
Why These Books Matter Now
If to be a writer, you must first be a reader, then to shape AI’s future, you must first understand its present. These books, which bring vastly different perspectives, offer critical insights that can help you shape and organize your thinking around AI.
More importantly, they provide frameworks for moving beyond understanding to action—because in the end, that’s what transformation requires.
