Software society

Nearly every device in daily use, from desktop computers and phones to home thermostats, runs on software. Because programs can be updated quickly, they set a tempo of innovation that keeps speeding up. Advances in speech and human language processing are binding people more closely to these systems, and handheld gadgets keep them within reach at all hours.

This tightening connection drives rapid cultural change, redefining what it means to be human. Software also reaches deep into the economy, taking over parts of production, marketing, services and sales. Programs can now perform work that once required human hands and minds, which can raise productivity and expand economic output. But the speed of change may be outstripping people's capacity to adapt to the jobs available and companies' capacity to respond to shifting markets. The consequences are already visible in stubborn joblessness and in strain on established corporations that once performed reliably.

The book examines these forces in both society and the economy. It looks at the idea of using machine intelligence to strengthen human thinking, weighing what that approach can achieve and where it falls short. It also considers the economic danger posed when automation advances faster than workers can adjust, and proposes ways to address that danger.