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The rise of artificial intelligence presents humanity with a profound challengeHachette

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Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit Hardcover – November 19, 2024

by Henry A. Kissinger (Author), Eric Schmidt (Author), Craig Mundie (Author),

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | USA TODAY BESTSELLER | LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER | J.P. MORGAN NEXTLIST SELECTION

In his final book, the late Henry Kissinger joins forces with two leading technologists to mount “a profound exploration” (Walter Isaacson) of the epochal challenges and opportunities presented by the revolution in Artificial Intelligence: a breakthrough that dramatically empowers people in all walks of life while also raising urgent questions about the future of humanity.

As it absorbs data, gains agency, and intermediates between humans and reality, AI (Artificial Intelligence) will help us to address enormous crises, from climate change to geopolitical conflicts to income inequality. It might well solve some of the greatest mysteries of our universe and elevate the human spirit to unimaginable heights. But it will also pose challenges on a scale and of an intensity that we have never seen—usurping our power of independent judgment and action, testing our relationship with the divine, and perhaps even spurring a new phase in human evolution.

The last book of elder statesman Henry Kissinger, written with technologists Craig Mundie and Eric Schmidt, Genesis charts a course between blind faith and unjustified fear as it outlines an effective strategy for navigating the age of AI.

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Genesis by Henry A. Kissinger Eric Schmidt Craig Mundie

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"In Genesis, the Kissingerian imprint—that elegant mix of idealism and realism—is evident everywhere . . . Genesis is as much a philosophy book—drawing on all that is best in the Western tradition—as it is a book that grapples with a techno-scientific phenomenon. It raises tough, often disconcerting, sometimes harrowing questions . . . wise and deeply sane."―Wall Street Journal

“AI may be one of the greatest technological revolutions ever, and the biggest question is how humans will adapt. This important book offers one of the first real looks at the future now in front of us—a future of almost limitless possibility, along with very complex new challenges.”―Sam Altman

“A timely exploration of the relationship between artificial intelligence and knowledge, power, and politics, this book pushes us to think hard about the risk and potential AI holds for humanity.”―Bill Gates

“In the coming Age of Artificial Intelligence, what will be the role of humans? In the final years of his life, Henry Kissinger immersed himself in studying AI, and he coauthored this book with technologists Eric Schmidt and Craig Mundie. It is a profound exploration of how we can protect human dignity and values in an era of autonomous machines.”―Walter Isaacson

“Kissinger, Mundie and Schmidt provide the deepest reflections we yet have on the opportunities and challenges posed by the looming AI-shaped global system. Readers of their book will learn something profoundly important. Before we can even think about new policies regarding AI, we will need to develop new conceptions of human reason and humanity itself. This book was Henry Kissinger’s final work. It may well prove his most prophetic and important. It is profoundly important reading.”―Larry Summers

“The next great technological revolution — in artificial intelligence — is already happening. While much of the conversation is about what AI can do and where AI will go, this book brilliantly reframes the discussion. How will human beings relate to AI? How does this thrilling, terrifying new scientific explosion change our conception of what it means to be human. You would expect a profound book given the three authors involved — and you will get it.”―Fareed Zakaria

“The authors of Genesis raise profound questions that are best answered by placing intelligent tools and technologies in the hands of people, empowering them with real agency to be more confident, more capable, and more in control.”―Satya Nadella

“A must read for anyone trying to think seriously about the challenges posed by AI. Genesis captures what we know—and most importantly don’t know—about the dangers posed by the unconstrained advance of AI. Drawing on lessons learned in the nuclear age, Kissinger and his colleagues illuminate the murky path ahead.”―Graham Allison

“Kissinger, Schmidt, and Mundie have crafted a roadmap for navigating our near-future in which unimaginably powerful and ubiquitous AI systems have become autonomous. Their insights into the practical and philosophical implications of humanity's first encounter with a superior intelligence are sobering and inspiring, challenging us to rethink our relationship with technology and our place in the universe. Genesis is vital reading for anyone seeking to understand how AI will reshape our world and what it takes to remain human in the age of intelligent machines.”―Ian Bremmer

“What does AI mean for discovery? For truth? For security, prosperity and politics? In answering these questions, these three extraordinary thinkers are (characteristically) unafraid to tackle the biggest themes and most profound questions around the dominant technology of our times. Epic in scope, bracing in clarity and always rooted in deep experience, this is an essential read.”―Mustafa Suleyman

“Genesis is thought-provoking in the best way — a much needed exploration of AI’s implications for humanity’s progress and what makes us human. It is also a roadmap for how we can harness AI’s possibilities, address its challenges, and ultimately co-exist with intelligent machines in the age of AI.”―James Manyika

“Artificial intelligence boggles the mind, and we struggle to comprehend its promises and perils. In his final book, it is fitting that the master of Grand Strategy, Henry Kissinger, with his superb coauthors Eric Schmidt and Craig Mundie, have focused on this topic. Genesis is the book our world needs to read today.”―Arthur C. Brooks

“As we try to navigate a responsible path into the future of AI, this book establishes a hopeful framework for how we might coexist while maintaining what it means to be human. In his final work, Henry Kissinger, one of the most consequential thinkers of our time, partnered with Eric Schmidt and Craig Mundie, to help guide us into this unprecedented frontier, so that we might harmonize its growth and importance with the wisdom needed to ensure - that this time - technology will be used for the good of humankind. It is a must read for the decision makers – which is all of us.”―Condoleezza Rice

“A posthumous postscript on a hair-raising topic… From beyond the grave, Kissinger is pointing in the right direction.”―The Economist

About the Author

Henry A. Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923, served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and taught history and government for two decades at Harvard University before becoming National Security Advisor and Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among other awards, he authored numerous influential works on statesmanship and international relations, most recently Leadership, and with Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenlocher coauthored The Age of AI. Until his death in November 2023, he remained in ceaseless demand as an adviser to American presidents and many other world leaders and policymakers.

Eric Schmidt is a CEO, technologist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Joining the founders of Google in 2001, he helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology, first as chief executive officer and chairman, and later as executive chairman and technical adviser. In 2021, he founded the Special Competitive Studies Project, a nonprofit initiative to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness in AI and technology. Most recently, he and his wife Wendy co‑founded Schmidt Sciences, a nonprofit organization working to advance science and technology that deepens human understanding of the natural world and develops solutions to global issues.

Craig J. Mundie, president of Mundie & Associates, joined Microsoft in 1992 and retired in 2014 as chief research and strategy officer. He advises Microsoft on quantum computing and cybersecurity, a technology advisor to the Cleveland Clinic, and also an investor/advisor in early-stage companies involved in AI, biotech, fusion energy, and materials science. He served Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama on the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Council and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Among his honors is a Doctor of Engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 19, 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316581291
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316581295
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 0.75 x 9.55 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #7,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Social Aspects of Technology
- #12 in Artificial Intelligence & Semantics
- #19 in Engineering & Transportation (Books)

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Henry Kissinger
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Henry Kissinger served in the US Army during the Second World War and subsequently held teaching posts in history and government at Harvard University for twenty years. He served as national security advisor and secretary of state under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and has advised many other American presidents on foreign policy. He received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Medal of Liberty, among other awards. He is the author of numerous books and articles on foreign policy and diplomacy, including most recently On China and World Order. He is currently chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm.
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Eric Schmidt
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Eric Schmidt is an accomplished technologist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, known for his pivotal role in the growth of Google as CEO and Chairman from 2001 to 2011, overseeing its transformation from a small startup to a global tech giant. Working alongside Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its products, while maintaining a strong culture of innovation.
Eric currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Broad Institute and as a board member for the Mayo Clinic and the Advisory Board at UC Berkeley, among others. His philanthropic efforts through The Schmidt Family Foundation and the Schmidt Ocean Institute with his wife Wendy, focus on climate change, including the support of ocean and marine life studies at sea, as well as education and cutting-edge research and technology in natural sciences and engineering. Notably, in 2024 Eric was awarded an honorary Knight of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by His Majesty King Charles III for services to Philanthropy.
Additionally, he co-founded Schmidt Futures with his wife Wendy, which supports projects at the intersection of talent and technology, centered on specific, finite challenges that are connected to other efforts in the Schmidt philanthropic network. Most recently, the couple co-founded Schmidt Sciences, a nonprofit organization working to advance science and technology that deepens human understanding of the natural world and develops solutions to global issues.
In 2021, he founded the Special Competitive Studies Project, a non-profit initiative focused on strengthening America’s long-term AI and technological competitiveness in national security, the economy, and society. Eric is also a commissioner on the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB).
An accomplished author, Eric has co-authored three New York Times bestsellers, The New Digital Age, How Google Works, and Trillion Dollar Coach. In 2021, Eric co-authored the WSJ bestselling book The Age of AI: And Our Human Future with Dr. Henry Kissinger and Professor Daniel Huttenlocher. His most recent book, Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit (2024), was co-written with the late Dr. Henry Kissinger, and Craig Mundie, offering a guide to how AI will shape the modern era.
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Gary Moreau, Author
The ultimate duality of promise and risk.
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024
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This is, without a doubt, the most absorbing book I have read this year. And the topic couldn’t be more timely or relevant to all of us.

By way of housekeeping, the authors do not wander into the weeds of algorithms or the technical details of machine learning. The book is a conceptual analysis of the possible future of AIs relative to politics, security/warfare, prosperity, and science. That analysis, moreover, is thorough, incredibly insightful, and balanced. Few conclusions yet, for as the authors point out we are early in the journey. It is a journey, nonetheless, that is proceeding much faster than anyone expected.

I admit that before starting the book I was expecting both a more assured assessment of the future and a decidedly more anthropomorphistic take on the technology itself. I naturally lean the other way. While I am enthralled by quantum physics and quite comfortable in the world of advanced mathematics, I naturally bring a contrarian’s suspicion to most topics. While I understand and admire technology for what it is, I am inclined to believe, as Freud said, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

Early in the book I thought the authors might prove me right. Not far into it, however, I realized I was decidedly mistaken. For authors who helped to shape, and were undoubtedly amply rewarded by, the tech revolution, I found them to be pleasantly balanced in their perspective. These are people who think deeply and conscientiously. There were hints at biased projection but that was ultimately brought back into a candid assessment of reality.

My concern about AI has been less about its promise, or its risk, than in who is controlling its development and deployment. For now, it is the owners of capital, not the citizenry, and I have come to question their motives. They will invest in developing that AI which promises the greatest return on capital, not that which propels the world forward.

In the forward, Niall Ferguson writes: “Technological advances can have both benign and malign consequences, depending on how we collectively decide to exploit them.” The problem is that “we” are deciding nothing when it comes to AI. That is all being decided by the owners of capital who may or may not share our collective values or even have our collective interests at heart. I fully expect that AI will release untold wealth. As it stands now, however, that wealth will accrue to a handful of people, not society at large.

One of the most promising fountains of wealth creation is the development of AI-empowered weapons systems that are designed to think independently of human overseers. That is happening today. There are already people working diligently to develop autonomous weapons systems before the world at large has developed comprehensive guidelines for the technology’s application. That, to me, is frightful.

I am particularly concerned because it has become commonplace, in our frenzied modern world, to oversimplify everything. The most relevant truth always exists in context and context is made up of a near-infinite number of variables, all inter-connected. If we oversimplify in the world of AI, we risk annihilation, or worse, enslavement.

The authors write, “We are trying to build something modeled on the brain – and superior to the brain – while still not fully understanding the brain itself.” That is scary. Politicians do the same thing when it comes to the economy, and it seldom ends well.

In the end, the philosophical dissonance that AI seems to generate, brings me back to a question asked since the beginning of time: “Does evil exist?” I don’t think so, but I’m not quite ready to let the capitalists take this ball and run without any constraints.

A great book, extremely well written. It will make you think. I highly recommend it.

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SP
A bit too abstract in nature
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2025
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The book offers a compelling take on AI as a co-evolutionary partner, emphasizing human dignity and a “leap of faith” beyond logic. Its historical insights and call for global governance standout, making it valuable for policymakers and tech enthusiasts.
However, the book’s abstract nature and lack of concrete solutions can feel underwhelming. Still, its balanced view of hope and peril provides a solid framework for navigating AI’s future. A 4-star read—thought-provoking but best paired with technical guides.

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Kindle Customer
Good Read to Understand AI and possible directions for humanity to coexist and coevolve
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2025
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Good Read to Understand AI and possible directions for humanity to coexist and coevolve. Author analyze very well quite many scenarios

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Andrew Updegrove
Unsatisfying
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2025
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Those with a philosophical bent will find this book much more worthwhile than I did. To begin with, the authors take it as a matter of fact that AIs will be able to do everything imaginable - including inventing new synthetic materials that will allow them to build enormous cities that will house all of humanity (to give only one of hundreds of statements). At the same time, they dismiss out of hand as impossible the potential for AIs to achieve something equivalent to sentience (even though, the authors believe, they will be able to perform other miracles), thereby dodging the question of what rights an AI should have that achieves sentience, or how sentience should be defined.

Similarly, the concept of the use of AI for criminal purposes is not addressed, even though that is already occurring and will certainly be more pervasive than many of the other dangers the authors do address. But most of all, I felt that the endless numbers of sweeping, unsupported generalizations, statements and assumptions considerably weakened and undermined the validity of the book.

Lastly, the authors seek to cover endless numbers of possibilities, but rarely at depth in a book that easily could have been longer than its moderate 288 pages. The result is more issue spotting than solutions.

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mpeters938
Good product
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2025
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Good product

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J. Hoagland
a bit over the top
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2025
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Try Last and First Men as a bookend
It addresses some of the same issues

Other
AI is currently overhyped
Brilliant but dumb

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Zachary T Johnson
Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2025
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Brilliantly written with no redundancy perfectly illustrating the unfathomable benefits of AI while simultaneously revealing the existential threats. A must read!

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Michael Wilson
Humans as Pets
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2024
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The science fiction novels I read 50 years ago are now becoming actual experience. This is the most important book I have read this year. Will AI bring heaven or hell? Will our own creations destroy us. Or will they rule over us? Will they someday rule the world doing all the work and making all the decisions? While keeping us as pets to feed and care for? Will they breed us turning us from wolves into lap dogs?

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Ed
mandatory reading
Reviewed in Brazil on August 3, 2025
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4 years ago Mr. Kissinger saw what many people had never even imagined....

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Thierry J
Mitigé
Reviewed in France on January 26, 2025
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J'ai été déçu de "Genesis" après avoir beaucoup apprécié "The Âge of AI". Trop souvent on voit la métaphysique envahir l'IA, où elle ne devrait rien avoir à faire, c'est le cas de Genesis sur son dernier tiers.

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GS
Articolo favoloso. Fornitore serio e preciso.
Reviewed in Italy on July 14, 2025
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Articolo favoloso. Fornitore serio e preciso.

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Barry
Who we are.
Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2024
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Just as no one is aware of when the soul enters the fetus, nor will AI be able to do as well. The soul is where our awareness and consciousness comes from. The beautiful and powerful way love’s magnetic power merges the body and soul into one, is one of the mysteries in this universe. Love is who we are. AI may eventually help us understand this.

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Paula Cristina Cabral Ramires
Sehr gut
Reviewed in Germany on December 23, 2024
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Hat meinem Mann sehr gefallen

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Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit Hardcover – November 19, 2024

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5.0 out of 5 stars mandatory reading

3.0 out of 5 stars Mitigé

5.0 out of 5 stars Articolo favoloso. Fornitore serio e preciso.

5.0 out of 5 stars Who we are.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr gut

mandatory reading

Mitigé

Articolo favoloso. Fornitore serio e preciso.

Who we are.

Sehr gut