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The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity Hardcover – April 24, 2018
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As we approach a great turning point in history when technology is poised to redefine what it means to be human, The Fourth Age offers fascinating insight into AI, robotics, and their extraordinary implications for our species.
In The Fourth Age, Byron Reese makes the case that technology has reshaped humanity just three times in history:
- 100,000 years ago, we harnessed fire, which led to language.
- 10,000 years ago, we developed agriculture, which led to cities and warfare.
- 5,000 years ago, we invented the wheel and writing, which lead to the nation state.
We are now on the doorstep of a fourth change brought about by two technologies: AI and robotics. The Fourth Age provides extraordinary background information on how we got to this point, and how—rather than what—we should think about the topics we’ll soon all be facing: machine consciousness, automation, employment, creative computers, radical life extension, artificial life, AI ethics, the future of warfare, superintelligence, and the implications of extreme prosperity.
By asking questions like “Are you a machine?” and “Could a computer feel anything?”, Reese leads you through a discussion along the cutting edge in robotics and AI, and, provides a framework by which we can all understand, discuss, and act on the issues of the Fourth Age, and how they’ll transform humanity.
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAtria Books
- Publication dateApril 24, 2018
- Dimensions6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101501158562
- ISBN-13978-1501158568
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“In The Fourth Age, Byron Reese offers the reader something much more valuable than what to think about Artificial Intelligence and robotics—he focuses on HOW to think about these technologies, and the ways in which they will change the world forever. If you only read just one book about the AI revolution, make it this one.” -- John Mackey, co-founder and CEO, Whole Foods Market
"Reese frames the deepest questions of our time in clear language that invites readers to make their own choices. Using 100,000 years of human history as his guide, he explores the issues around artificial general intelligence, robots, consciousness, automation, the end of work, abundance, and immortality. As he does so, Reese reveals himself to be an optimist and urges us to use technology to build a better world." -- Bob Metcalfe, UT Austin Professor of Innovation, Ethernet inventor, 3Com founder
"Timely, highly informative, and certainly optimistic." ― Booklist
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The most distinctive characteristic of the last century or so might seem to be the enormous amount of change that has occurred. Dozens, if not hundreds, of advances are said to have revolutionized our lives. The list includes automobiles, air travel, television, the personal computer, the Internet, and cell phones. Change is everywhere. We have harnessed the atom, flown into space, invented antibiotics, eliminated smallpox, and sequenced the genome.
But within the context of the overall arc of human history, little has changed in the past five thousand years. Just like the people who lived five millennia ago, we too have moms, dads, kids, schools, governments, religions, war, peace. We still celebrate births and mourn death. Forever with us, universal to all cultures of humanity, are sports, weddings, dancing, jewelry, tattoos, fashion, gossip, social hierarchy, fear, love, joy, happiness, and ecstasy. Looked at through this lens, humanity really hasn’t changed much in all that time. We still go to work in the morning;, only the way we get there has changed. In ancient Assyria, toddlers pulled around small wooden horsey toys on wheels with a string. In classical Greece, boys played tug-of-war. Ancient Egypt was renowned for its cosmetics, and millennia ago, Persians celebrated birthdays in much the same way as we do, with parties, presents, and special desserts.
No, the remarkable thing about our time is not the change we have seen; rather, it is the change we haven’t seen. The really amazing thing is how similar we are to our forebears. In ancient Rome, gladiators were paid celebrity spokesmen who recited product plugs just before the competition: “That’s why I use Antinius’s swords. You won’t find a better sword at any price.” And just like in our times, there were people willing to perform dramatically destructive acts just for the fame that doing so brought about, as was said to have happened on July 21, 356 BC, when an arsonist named Herostratus burned down the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, simply for the everlasting fame it would bring him. In response, a law was passed that made saying his name a crime, but clearly Herostratus got his wish.
If you went to visit a friend in antiquity, you might have seen mounted on the door a brass lion’s head with a ring in its mouth to be used to announce your arrival. If you attended a wedding five thousand years ago, you likely would have joined the wedding party as they wished good fortune on the new couple by throwing rice. Today, when we read that archaeologists have dug up ancient lead slingshot bullets each engraved with the word “catch,” we still get the joke.
These people of antiquity were just like us. To really appreciate the unchanging nature of humans, one need look no farther than a book called Characters written by a Greek named Theophrastus 2,300 years ago. He satirized humanity itself, and sorted us all by type, such as the Flatterer, the Boor, the Chatty Man, and so forth. If you know someone who takes photos of his meals and posts them online, you might see him in the person Theophrastus calls the Garrulous Man, who “begins with a eulogy of his wife, relates the dream he had the night before, tells dish by dish what he had for supper,” and concludes that “we are by no means the men we were” in times past. Theophrastus then goes on to describe the Stupid Man, who “when he goes to the play, is left at the end fast asleep in an empty house. . . . After a hearty supper he has to get up in the night, returns only half awake, misses the right door, and is bitten by his neighbor’s dog.”
No, against the backdrop of history, our time has seen very little change. In fact, I maintain that things have only really changed three times in human history. Each time was due to technology. Not just a single technology, but groups of interrelated technologies that changed us in fundamental and permanent, even biological, ways. That’s it. Just three big changes so far.
This book is about the fourth one.
Product details
- Publisher : Atria Books (April 24, 2018)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1501158562
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501158568
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #160 in Robotics & Automation (Books)
- #201 in Robotics (Books)
- #754 in Artificial Intelligence & Semantics
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

There are the people who hope the future will be better, then there are the people who reason the future will be better. Byron is the second variety. Both a futurist and optimist, Byron believes we are approaching a fourth age for humanity that promises to be infinitely better than anything we have seen before.
Byron strives to help business leaders understand the implications of emerging technologies and their impacts on business and society. In Byron’s most recent book, “WE ARE AGORA: How Humanity Functions as a Single Superorganism That Shapes Our World and Our Future”, Byron asks if humans could unknowingly be part of a larger superorganism—one with its own motivations and goals, one that is alive, conscious, and has the power to shape the future of our species. Byron is also the author of “Stories, Dice, and Rocks That Think, How Humans Learned to See the Future--And Shape It,” “Wasted, How We Squander Time, Money, and Natural Resources and What We Can Do About It,” “The Fourth Age: How Technology and the Internet Will End Ignorance, Disease, Hunger, Poverty, and War,” and “Infinite Progress, How the Internet and Technology Will End Ignorance, Disease, Poverty, Hunger, and War.”
Byron possesses a diverse body of patented work, and enjoys talking about the intersection of technology, history and the future to both technical and non-technical audiences around the world. Byron brings his experience as a technologist, his passion for history, and his proven business acumen to illuminate how today’s technology can solve many of our biggest global challenges. As a lifelong entrepreneur with multiple IPOs and successful exits, Byron frequently speaks to business audiences about how to excel in the world of tomorrow, and how to deploy technology successfully.
He states: “Technology multiplies human ability. That’s its trick. It magnifies us. We can move more bricks with a fork lift than we can on our back. Technological advancement is not to be feared, but should be welcomed, for by enhancing human ability, we enhance our productivity and therefore our standard of living. This is the entire reason why we live so much more lavish and prosperous lives than did our great grandparents. An hour of our time is vastly more productive than was an hour of theirs.”
Bloomberg Businessweek credits Byron with having “quietly pioneered a new breed of media company.” The Financial Times of London reported that he “is typical of the new wave of internet entrepreneurs out to turn the economics of the media industry on its head.”
Byron and his work have been featured in hundreds of news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, NPR, and the LA Times Magazine.
Specialties: Entrepreneurship, executive leadership, product conception and creation, and an optimistic can-do, scrappy, “anything is possible” attitude. As a public speaker, Byron has addressed hundreds of corporations and professional organizations on almost every continent, and reports he is open to traveling to Antarctica to round it all out.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book thought-provoking, praising its masterful explanation of complex ideas and brilliant analysis of various viewpoints. They describe it as an enjoyable read with exceptionally readable prose that's easy to follow. Customers appreciate its realistic approach and optimistic outlook on humanity.
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Customers find the book thought-provoking, praising its masterful explanation of complex ideas and brilliant analysis of various viewpoints.
"...Along comes Reese to lend us a friendly, down-to-earth, seminar-style book that gathers all the buzzwords and scary headlines and sorts through it..." Read more
"...chapters seemed like hyped-up filler; but on the whole, the book filled my imagination and provoked an ongoing inner dialogue with the subject matter..." Read more
"It's nice to find a book on AI that straddles the line between being enjoyable and easy to follow without sacrificing any of the nuance and depth of..." Read more
"...to anyone interested in the future of humanity, it's deep enough to provoke new thoughts in the experienced thinker in this space, and approachable..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read, with one mentioning it takes the reader on a journey through the subject matter.
"A good read for the most part. Very thought-provoking...." Read more
"It's nice to find a book on AI that straddles the line between being enjoyable and easy to follow without sacrificing any of the nuance and depth of..." Read more
"...It's an informative and engaging book that's well thought out and gives you the reader the information you need about AI along with some ways to..." Read more
"...I would recommend it to anyone, it was especially enjoyable to read as a software developer, as many of these concepts are being introduced in..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's pacing, finding the prose exceptionally readable and easy to follow, with one customer noting its conversational style.
"...a book on AI that straddles the line between being enjoyable and easy to follow without sacrificing any of the nuance and depth of this challenging..." Read more
"...I especially liked this book because Byron's style is more conversational and less like a lecture...." Read more
"Once I started reading, it was very hard to stop. Written with a very casual and fun tone...." Read more
"...The Fourth Age is just as good, just as readable, and just as important." Read more
Customers find the book enlightening, with one review noting its very optimistic outlook on humanity and thoughtful presentation.
"...that is centered on a well-reasoned, but fundamentally very optimistic outlook on humanity - what we might look like with our potential fully..." Read more
"...and what's probably not going to happen in the field of AI … great background and overview on the subject but he does seem to fall short with some..." Read more
"...Has a past/present/future structure. The author seems very optimistic, but still manages to remain fairly unbiased in this book...." Read more
"...Inspiring, insightful, and loaded with viewpoints, beliefs, and arguments (pro and con!)..." Read more
Customers find the book realistic.
"...How does it end? Along comes Reese to lend us a friendly, down-to-earth, seminar-style book that gathers all the buzzwords and scary headlines and..." Read more
"...This is the best by far. Very realistic, in my opinion...." Read more
"Great book. And offers a more realistic and less fatalistic viewpoint on where we are and where we will be, in my humble opinion." Read more
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The Fourth Age looks at the evolution of humanity’s relationship with emerging technologies like AI
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2018Fantastic book! So timely. Everybody talks about AI and robots these days, but it seems so vast and truly mysterious, that I think most of us feel totally lost. Where does this all start? Where is it going? How does it end? Along comes Reese to lend us a friendly, down-to-earth, seminar-style book that gathers all the buzzwords and scary headlines and sorts through it for us with convincing simplicity and clarity. I have been struggling to frame the notion of AI for myself, first in terms of current technology, including everything from smart shopping to drones, and then onto the larger contentious SCI FI themes, like robot warfare. It's been a welcome escape to switch over to "The Humans are Dead", by Flight of the Conchords. Now Reese has spelled out, and rather nicely outlined, the issues for me in a way that I can easily grasp and feel more confident in discussing with my friends. He has filled in most of the gaps in my understanding. I can now tell the difference between the freeway billboards marketing the latest smart this-or-that, and the types of concerns that have kept eminent scientists awake at night. It was very refreshing that Reese was brave enough to say "we simply don't know" a number of times. It gets old when so many other visionaries are exactly naming the future year when we can kiss humanity goodbye. Or, as Reese seems to urge, the time when we can truly solve our big problems through technology.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2019A good read for the most part. Very thought-provoking. Takes multiple perspectives (inviting you to choose which one you agree with) and explores their consequences. A good mix of philosophical and contemporary discourse around AI.
The crux of the argument is that what (we think) is possible for AI and robotics depends on a number of philosophical, specifically ontological commitments, for example in relation to what consciousness is and how it comes about (we don’t actually know, so it does take a commitment in order to follow out a logic of possibility).
The final few chapters seemed like hyped-up filler; but on the whole, the book filled my imagination and provoked an ongoing inner dialogue with the subject matter. Still thinking my way through things and am looking for a new book to continue the conversation. Would recommend.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2018It's nice to find a book on AI that straddles the line between being enjoyable and easy to follow without sacrificing any of the nuance and depth of this challenging topic. While we can probably agree that the exact future of AI has a lot of unknowns, and hence potential dangers, it doesn't change the fact that we can choose to view the possibilities through an optimistic lens, as Reese does here.
Throughout the book, Reese takes apart the ominous headlines we so often hear in the news and provides more clarity around the topic. For example, the notion that '47% of jobs are at risk of being automated' is shown to be effectively a mis-reading of the reports authors, who more accurately concluded that roughly 47% of common tasks could be automated, but those tasks are spread out among many occupations.
I do think more time could have been spent in the earlier chapters outlining the first three ages, and what clearly separates them, but the point stands that we have had very few technological shifts that have the capacity to dramatically shift the course of human history and development.
This is a great book for looking back on where we've been and equipping the reader with the information necessary to form their own ideas about where we might be going next.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2018Byron takes us on a journey through the history of human technological and societal development, and asks a set of philosophical questions that help frame how to think about the age we're in now, centered on the concept of developing machines that think. Without trying to guide the reader to a particular conclusion, Byron asks you to contend with basic questions - such as what YOU are, fundamentally, and how that shapes your thinking about the age we're in.
If you're an avid reader of futurist thinking or speculative fiction, you'll find a lot of familiar concepts here, but framed within the arc of history and with a focus on the implications for the human condition. If you're not, Byron helps guide you into the kind of thinking required to really evaluate the implications of AI. I'd recommend The Fourth Age to anyone interested in the future of humanity, it's deep enough to provoke new thoughts in the experienced thinker in this space, and approachable enough to be your first introduction.
And at the risk of a minor spoiler - Byron concludes with a prediction for what comes after this age - and it's a prediction that is centered on a well-reasoned, but fundamentally very optimistic outlook on humanity - what we might look like with our potential fully realized on the other side of this Fourth Age. Whether or not you agree with his prediction - you'll definitely want to.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2019Reese is a fantastic story teller. This is the guy you want at your cocktail parties, or tucking your kids into bed. He’s also an expert at the technical and sociological present, and how developments on the horizon are set to change both. Reese offers a thorough explanation of Artificial Intelligence that is both interesting to the tech geek and to those outside of the industry. He is able to position the opposing views of industry thought leaders without taking sides - a rarity. Read this book.
Top reviews from other countries
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UBcanadaReviewed in Canada on March 11, 20245.0 out of 5 stars Excellent article
Cela donne une bonne idée du futur et de ses inconvénients.
Luana & LiaReviewed in Italy on December 17, 20205.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for all technology lovers
Because disclaimers always come first, I have to tell you that a representative of GigaOM reached out to me on Twitter in 2018 asking if I wanted to read the book and sent me an EPUB. I started reading and I liked it so much that I decided to buy the paperback as soon as it became available on Amazon.
That said, this is an unbiased review – with the only “bias”, if you allow me, being my unconditional love of machines.
But this book is more on the human than on the machine. In fact, the author Byron Reese focuses on the ages of technological progress, from language and fire in the First, to the development of sophisticated AI and robots in the Fourth.
And how will human life change in the Fourth Age thanks to these catalysts? Reese investigates on the possibilities, especially what will happen to the concept of “human” if (when?) humankind will ever be able to build a sophisticated artificial general intelligence (AGI), a conscious machine. Will the machines be human, too?
Reese also attempts to answer (with the collaboration of the reader) some current hot questions: will robots eventually take our jobs? What about the use of robots in warfare?
Personally, I follow Haikonen’s robot consciousness research (and I dream to be able to “program” it in a robot one day) but it’s far from building a Terminator and I hope for humanity’s sake that we’ll always put restrictions on robots even if we manage to make them slightly conscious. The best way to not run the risk of technology taking over is to not build that something at all.
The good news, to say it with Reese, is that "We use our technology, generally speaking, for good."
But the author also investigates on some directions progress may take, like ending poverty and hunger, fighting disease, develop more clean energy and extend life. As always, he leaves it up to the reader to decide on various matters, from technology to immortality.
All in all, I found Reese’s book thought provoking and a good analysis of the human way to handle progress and civilization.
"The fact that progress exists at all speaks quite well of us as a species, for it relies on cooperation, honesty, and benevolence. It involves selflessness as well as empathy." -- Byron Reese
I also enjoyed the author's writing style: personable yet neutral, and it runs smoothly when you read it. The only reason it took me two years to finish this book is because it's information-packed and dense in citations and questions, so sometimes reading one page got me thinking for the whole days and I just couldn't progress with the reading.
But you know what? I'm glad it took me this long. Living with this book for a while helped me mature as a human being, I believe, and start looking at things a bit differently and with more critical sensibility.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all people who have a passion for technology and who have questions about life, society and the world.
- Luana Spinetti
oscar garcia sevillaReviewed in Mexico on March 3, 20214.0 out of 5 stars Goodbook
Amazing what is coming soon
CherrylReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 20195.0 out of 5 stars A New Reality: Definitely very thought provoking
A very interesting exploration of the modern day realties around robotics and it's potential to change humanity as we know it. The book challenges you to think about your stance and contemplate the impact of things like transhumanism, robots replacing human labour power and the ability of robots/computers to compete with the human brain/mind.
roisincassidyReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 20214.0 out of 5 stars This book gave me some insight but it was quite mind bobbling
Good







