Malhotra, R. (2021). Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power. New Delhi: Rupa Publications

Abstract

There is a good number of books dwelling on the impact of AI. Not many books are written on the concept of power. Rajiv Malhotra has eloquently written his insights into how AI would change the social fabric which in turn revolutionizes the understanding of the term power. At the onset, this book is meant for general reading and not specifically designed for the social science experts of technology scientists. Accordingly, this work should not be compared with the works of Nick Bostrom, Andrew NG, or KaiFu Lee. This book is structured on the five battlegrounds which are not to be confused with the geopolitical tussles. They represent the Economy and Jobs; Psychology; Global Power, Metaphysics, and India's future. This book appears to have emerged from the authors own philosophical debate between constructivism and material determinism. The author does not explicitly bring the western Science, Technology, and Society (STS) scholarship but builds his constructivism on Indian traditional knowledge systems. Books like Mahabharata, Gita and scholars like Sant Ramdas, Tukaram were frequently quoted. He espouses that the development and deployment of AI must be in congruence with the Indian traditional knowledge. This reminds the new book of Indian External Affairs Minister, Subramanian Jaishankar, in his book also has a similar take when it comes to the designing of foreign policy (Jaishankar, 2020, p. 112).