God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning

From the first chapter: "Today artificial intelligence and information technologies have absorbed many of the questions that were once taken up by theologians and philosophers: the mind’s relationship to the body, the question of free will, the possibility of immortality. These are old problems, and although they now appear in different guises and go by different names, they persist in conversations about digital technologies much like those dead metaphors that still lurk in the syntax of contemporary speech."O'Gieblyn packs a lot into this book; it's hard to summarize, and neither the blurbs nor the jacket copy do it justice. I can't either. Loosely, she's interested in how we (variously) understand human consciousness in the age of AI, and she maps this subject across many connected territories, including but not limited to religion, physics, and philosophy. She thinks profoundly about everything and has no difficulty summarizing complex topics herself. She has the kind of searching intelligence that seems to think *with* you rather than *at* you, making the experience of reading about these topics feel deeper than usual.

This book! On the one hand it’s ingenious with the observation by a non-believer that much of modern tech culture including AI is imbued with religious themes, yet I found it challenging to get through to that message. The author is a great writer but I could have benefited from clarity and concise paragraphs. But don’t let that dissuade you. This might be the most important book of 2023

It’s the rare book that was so good, I immediately re-read it.

I thought it was well written. I really disagree with her points and treating the robots like people came off as crazy to me.

The book is an excursion that visits philosophy of mind, the nexus of technology and culture, and the very essence of the universe. It is relentlessly challenging and thoughtful, and at the same time intensely personal. The first person perspective makes this book work. Highly readable and worthwhile.

A pleasure and breeze to read. The author traces the development of artificial intelligence and places it in the context of her own loss of faith in Christianity. By the end of the book, but not the end of her odyssey, she has come full circle wondering what is the meaning of humanity.

O’Gieblyn is an autodidact of huge breadth who appears to understand computers, quantum theory, theology, and philosophy. She gives no answers but expresses human wonder and hope.

Tackles interesting and deep issues. At times fresh and insightful; other times in clearly over her head. Still, it was a fun book to read overall.

The beginning é very easy; I asked my husband for an Aibo from Sony. Afterward, I got a little scared actually to have Aibo. But, for certain applications, I believe it to be a plus. Now, as the book gets more into specialized topics, I find it difficult, or more difficult, to read as an outsider from the field. Yet, it is worth the try.

A most unusual book - philosophy of mind meets the history of AI in a highly personal story by a beautiful writer.It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I thought it brilliant and insightful.