Books Why Machines Will Never Rule the World 2nd Edition by Barry Smith (Author), Jobst Landgrebe (Author)

Why Machines Will Never Rule the World" (2nd Edition) by Barry Smith and Jobst Landgrebe argues that artificial intelligence (AI) capable of equaling or surpassing human general intelligence (AGI) is mathematically impossible. The authors present two core reasons for this:

Human intelligence arises from a complex dynamic system—the brain and central nervous system—which exhibits unpredictable behaviors.

Such complex systems cannot be mathematically modeled in a way that allows these capabilities to be replicated inside a computer.

The book critically analyzes the limits of AI from perspectives including mathematics, physics, computer science, philosophy, linguistics, biology, and anthropology. It addresses why, after decades of AI development, interactions with AI remain unsatisfactory, emphasizing that AI can only operate in narrow, predefined domains and lacks true understanding or general intelligence.

The second edition expands on these arguments in light of recent developments like Large Language Models (e.g., ChatGPT), arguing that AI systems are "pieces of mathematics" incapable of thinking, feeling, or willing, and dispels myths about AI-driven digital immortality or simulations of reality. It also critically examines the hype around AI’s potential to radically change human society, concluding that AI will not and cannot "rule the world," but will offer useful tools within defined limits.