Superconvergence

How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform our Lives, Work, and World

By: Jamie Metzl

Narrated by: James Anderson Foster, Jamie Metzl

From a leading futurist and OneShared.World founder, a "brilliant" book that explores how artificial intelligence and other revolutionary technologies are transforming our lives–and our future (Sanjay Gupta).

New technologies have the potential to improve our health, feed billions of people, supercharge our economies, store essential information for millions of years, and save our planet. But if we're not careful, they can also do immeasurable harm. Luckily, in Jamie Metzl, we have a leading expert who integrates science, technology, history, politics, and international affairs to envision a future that most specialists, almost by definition, cannot see.

In this bold and inspiring exploration of transformative human knowledge, Metzl gives us the definitive account of the technological precipice on which we stand and the map to where we go from here.

Critic reviews

“In Superconvergence, Jamie Metzl takes readers on a magical journey through the science of the intersecting genetics, biotech, and AI revolutions, deeply explores the implications, and challenges us to think creatively and proactively about what comes next. Very few books are absolute must-reads. This is one.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and author of The Gene: An Intimate History

"During the 25 years I have known Jamie Metzl, he has always been ahead of the curve. There is no one better to help us understand and prepare for the fast approaching technological revolutions. Superconvergence is brilliant. I can't recommend it more strongly."—Sanjay Gupta MD, bestseller author, neurosurgeon, and Emmy-award winning chief medical correspondent (CNN)

"Our world is defined by our science and technology—whether we like it or not. The question now is not whether to use these powers, but how best to use them. In Superconvergence, Jamie Metzl takes us on a journey of the new capabilities that are radically transforming ecosystems inside us and around us, challenging each of us to get personally involved with building the future we want."—Beth Shapiro, University of California Santa Cruz evolutionary biologist and author of Life as We Made It: How 50,000 Years of Human Innovation Refined—and Redefined—Nature

"In a fine counter-blast to the pessimism of today, Jamie Metzl lays out just how spectacular the future of humanity and planet can be if we harness innovation responsibly and imaginatively to create what he calls the 'spiral of progress.'"—Matt Ridley, author of How Innovation Works, and co-author of Viral: The search for the Origin of Covid-19

“A page-turning journey through space and time that shows us how our lives will be changed by imminent technological advances we once only dreamed of.”—David Sinclair, Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, and author of Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To

“The superconvergence of the genetics, biotechnology, and AI revolutions provides spectacular opportunities for building a better world. It also represents an almost limitless investment opportunity. We were excited to collaborate with Jamie Metzl, one of the world's great experts on how these aspirations can best be realized, including in capital markets. Superconvergence is a master class for imagining, investing in, and building a future we'd like to inhabit."—Jeremy Schwartz, Global Chief Investment Officer, WisdomTree

Very informative!

I liked the way Jamie Metzl makes complex ideas understandable and applicable in a way that entertaining.

Great Book Somewhat Spoiled by Self-Promotion

This book by Jamie Metzl, like his prior "Hacking Darwin," is a well-written and very coherent account of the converging mega-trends and challenges confronting us today. The author also researches and presents a fine account of historical context. Both books provide a wealth of highly interesting and creative insights. Unfortunately, the author's own self-congratulatory and promotional style sometimes gets in the way of his message. Still, I highly recommend the book to friends.

Some good insight, fails to integrate human nature

While this book had some excellent insight on development of bioengineering and computing applications of AI, it squandered its credibility in its application for food generation, power generation, and global warming. Why not talk about AI applications for mitigating climate change and food production? Why the failure to understand human nature and the reliance on the United Nations at the end? I was disappointed by the failure to consider human nature and moral failings.

Great book that explains how AI, biology, and our most important challenges are all coming together

As a researcher who works with AI and biotechnology, this book does a great job in explaining how these fields are coming together. The author gives a rich history of each and goes through several real-world scenarios on how these fields can help address some of greatest challenges in society. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting an introduction to AI and emerging biotechnologies.

Leaves a mark

Very glad this was peddled on my social feeds bc I felt like this book has such synthesized ideas… as a person working in molecular genetics, these aren’t crazy ideas and I strongly feel empowered to do something…