Superconvergence

How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform our Lives, Work, and World

By: Jamie Metzl

Narrated by: James Anderson Foster, Jamie Metzl

A bold, inspiring, and multi-disciplinary exploration of cutting-edge human knowledge and capabilities—and how to harness their awesome, but terrifying potential

In Superconvergence, leading futurist and OneShared.World founder Jamie Metzl explores how genome sequencing, gene editing, artificial intelligence, and other technologies are not only changing our lives, but catalyzing each other in radical and accelerating ways. These technologies have the potential to improve our health, feed billions of people, supercharge our economies, and store essential information for millions of years, but can also—if we are not careful—do immeasurable harm.

The challenge we face is that while the ability to engineer the world around us is advancing exponentially, our processes for understanding the scope, scale, and implications of these changes is only increasing linearly and our capacity to govern our godlike capabilities wisely is only inching forward glacially. Luckily, in Jamie Metzl we have a thinker who has followed this phenomenon for decades and who integrates science, history, politics, and international affairs to envision a future that many specialists, almost by definition, cannot see. In Superconvergence, Metzl gives us the definitive account of the technological precipice on which we stand and the map to where we go from here.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Jamie Metzl (P)2024 Timber Press

Critic reviews

“In Superconvergence, Jamie Metzl takes readers on a magical journey through the science of the intersecting genetics, biotech, and AI revolutions, deeply explores the implications, and challenges us to think creatively and proactively about what comes next. Very few books are absolute must-reads. This is one.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and author of The Gene: An Intimate History

"During the 25 years I have known Jamie Metzl, he has always been ahead of the curve. There is no one better to help us understand and prepare for the fast approaching technological revolutions. Superconvergence is brilliant. I can't recommend it more strongly."—Sanjay Gupta MD, bestseller author, neurosurgeon, and Emmy-award winning chief medical correspondent (CNN)

"Our world is defined by our science and technology—whether we like it or not. The question now is not whether to use these powers, but how best to use them. In Superconvergence, Jamie Metzl takes us on a journey of the new capabilities that are radically transforming ecosystems inside us and around us, challenging each of us to get personally involved with building the future we want."—Beth Shapiro, University of California Santa Cruz evolutionary biologist and author of Life as We Made It: How 50,000 Years of Human Innovation Refined—and Redefined—Nature

Some good insight, fails to integrate human nature

While this book had some excellent insight on development of bioengineering and computing applications of AI, it squandered its credibility in its application for food generation, power generation, and global warming. Why not talk about AI applications for mitigating climate change and food production? Why the failure to understand human nature and the reliance on the United Nations at the end? I was disappointed by the failure to consider human nature and moral failings.

Very informative!

I liked the way Jamie Metzl makes complex ideas understandable and applicable in a way that entertaining.

Great Book Somewhat Spoiled by Self-Promotion

This book by Jamie Metzl, like his prior "Hacking Darwin," is a well-written and very coherent account of the converging mega-trends and challenges confronting us today. The author also researches and presents a fine account of historical context. Both books provide a wealth of highly interesting and creative insights. Unfortunately, the author's own self-congratulatory and promotional style sometimes gets in the way of his message. Still, I highly recommend the book to friends.

Great book that explains how AI, biology, and our most important challenges are all coming together

As a researcher who works with AI and biotechnology, this book does a great job in explaining how these fields are coming together. The author gives a rich history of each and goes through several real-world scenarios on how these fields can help address some of greatest challenges in society. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting an introduction to AI and emerging biotechnologies.

Leaves a mark

Very glad this was peddled on my social feeds bc I felt like this book has such synthesized ideas… as a person working in molecular genetics, these aren’t crazy ideas and I strongly feel empowered to do something…

Convergence, cool man.

Multidisciplinary everything. This book ties up lots of future upgrades, convergence, like multidisciplinary conclusions satisfy. Building a foundation to control world science, and lots more?? Brick by brick...?
I'll trust humanity here. Rug Bergman's HUMANKIND is accepted, I am told is accepted in sciences universally.
I believe Earth is at a watershed for earthmen. Prestigious ones are taking out the angry/dominant man. It seems to me we are all connected.
Live long and prosper UN

Very arrogant author and many groundless claims

The author is very arrogant and feel comfortable making groundless speculations. Very biased author. Not objective l.

Lot of genetics, minimal Al

If you want to hear about genetics, this book is for you though it does not have much you have not read otherwise. If you want to hear about AI, this book is not for you. Besides mentioning AI will do miracle there is little or no substance on that front.