The MANIAC

The author of When We Cease to Understand the World: a dazzling, kaleidoscopic book about the destructive chaos lurking in the history of computing and AI. It reads like a dark foundation myth about modern technology but is told with the pace of a thriller. Mark Haddon's John von Neumann was a titan of science who revolutionized every field he touched, and his mathematical powers were so exceptional that Hans Bethe thought he might represent the next step in human evolution.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 07 September 2023
Publisher: Pushkin Press

Mark Haddon's When We Cease to Understand the World is a captivating and kaleidoscopic exploration of the destructive chaos lurking in the history of computing and AI. This mesmerizing book reads like a dark foundation myth about modern technology, yet it is told with the pace of a thrilling thriller.

John von Neumann, a Hungarian wunderkind who revolutionized every field he touched, possessed mathematical powers so exceptional that Hans Bethe, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, believed he could represent the next step in human evolution. After seeking the foundations of mathematics during his youth in Germany, von Neumann emigrated to the United States, where he became entangled in the power games of the Cold War. He designed the world's first programmable computer, invented game theory, pioneered AI and digital life, and played a crucial role in creating the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was the darling of the military industrial complex, but his work pushed further into areas beyond human comprehension and control when illness unmoored his mind.

The MANIAC, by Mark Haddon, places von Neumann at the center of a literary triptych that explores the dark foundations of our modern world and the nascent era of AI. The book begins with Paul Ehrenfest, an Austrian physicist and close friend of Einstein, who fell into despair when he witnessed science and technology becoming tyrannical forces. A hundred years later, the book concludes with the showdown between the South Korean Go Master, Lee Sedol, and the AI program AlphaGo.

Through a seamless blend of fact and fiction, Benjamin Labatut takes readers on a journey to the frontiers of rational thought, where invention outpaces human understanding and offers godlike power. However, this journey also takes us to the brink of Armageddon, highlighting the potential dangers of our technological advancements.

When We Cease to Understand the World is a thought-provoking and cautionary tale that reminds us of the importance of understanding the world we live in and the consequences of our actions. It is a must-read for anyone interested in technology, history, and the future of humanity.

Weight: 578g
Dimension: 241 x 160 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781782279815