2084 and the AI Revolution, Updated and Expanded Edition

How Artificial Intelligence Informs Our Future

By: John C. Lennox

Narrated by: John C. Lennox

Read by the author.

Will technology change what it means to be human?

You don't have to be a computer scientist to have discerning conversations about artificial intelligence and technology. We all wonder where we're headed. Even now, technological innovations and machine learning have a daily impact on our lives, and many of us see good reasons to dread the future. Are we doomed to the surveillance society imagined in George Orwell's 1984?

Mathematician and philosopher John Lennox believes that there are credible responses to the daunting questions that AI poses, and he shows that Christianity has some very serious, sensible, evidence-based things to say about the nature of our quest for superintelligence.

This newly updated and expanded edition of 2084 will introduce you to a kaleidoscope of ideas:

• Key recent developments in technological enhancement, bioengineering, and, in particular, artificial intelligence.
• Consideration of the nature of AI systems with insights from neuroscience.
• The way AI is changing how we communicate, implications for medicine, manufacturing and the military, its use in advertising and automobiles, and education and the future of work.
• How data is used today for surveillance, thought control.
• The rise of virtual reality and the metaverse.
• The transhumanist agenda and longtermism.
• The agreements and disagreements that scientists and experts have about the future of AI.
• The urgent need for regulation and control in light of the development of large language transformers like CHATGPT.
• Key insights from Scripture about the nature of human beings, the soul, our moral sense, our future, and what separates us from machines.

In straight-forward, accessible language, you will get a better understanding of the current capacity of AI, its potential benefits and dangers, the facts and the fiction, as well as possible future implications.

Since the questions posed by AI, daunting as they might be, affect most of us, they demand answers. 2084 and the AI Revolution, Updated and Expanded Edition has been written to challenge and ignite the curiosity of all readers. Whatever your worldview, Lennox provides clear information and credible answers that will bring you real hope for the future of humanity.

Questions and charts can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Thought provoking

John Lennox does not disappoint as he guides you through the history of AI’s development, the philosophies that fostered its creation, and the hopes of mankind (good and bad) that swirl around its implications. He then shows parallels in scripture to how these ideologies align with prophecy in the Bible. It is one of the few treatises of Revelation I have seen that is approachable by the lay person yet grounded and rooted in reason rather than some fringe crack-pot theory.

An absolute must-listen to for Christians

Admittedly, coming into this book, I hadn't spent too much extended time thinking extensively about AI. Obviously, I have dabbled with it and talked about it in conversation, but listening/reading to this book was an eye-opener for me. John Lennox's work on this topic will be invaluable if the discussion points and subject matter ends up leading to Christians and non-Christians, alike, to take the matter of AI seriously. This truly is a wild west, "Tower of Babel" type of scenario we're dealing with today. From the actual information and data points Lennox brings to the table, to the ethical issues surrounding it, I hope and pray we as a people think long and hard about the ramifications of our AI-driven world we're all apart of, whether we know it or not. My only complaint, if any, is that though I love John Lennox as a professor and fellow brother in Christ, I didn't always love that narration. I very much appreciate his approachability, his pleasant demeanor, and Hobbit-like accent, but sometimes, it was a bit hard to understand. I do appreciate he narrated his own work though, and I enjoyed this audiobook immensely regardless.

Great Synthesis of information on tech and AI

Loved the book, and would say the author has put a lot of time to research AI and Nano Technology and fairly points out its strengths and weaknesses. The only problem I had was there were a lot of interruptions and corruptive parts in the digital audiobook. I also do not think that making his latter analogy to the book of Revelation was prudent. Lennox is a legitimate scientist from Oxford, but looking for modern technology in Revelation seems to be done in every generation since it was written and has been more wrong than correct. It also reflects an eschatology that may or may not be biblical. With that said, it is well worth the read for anyone that wants to get up to speed on modern technology and how it affects us as people.

Great introduction to a fast paced topic

I enjoyed the book overall and recommend it to anyone who feels out of place on how technology and faith intertwine.

Thoughtful and compelling

Proof that a Christian can be faithful to God’s word and face the 21st century with critical thinking and integrity; this book gives the reader an overview of of the challenges and benefits of AI; including the philosophical positions of various AI designers.