An "intriguing, insightful" look at how algorithms and robots could lead to social unrest-and how to avoid it (The Economist, Books of the Year).

After decades of effort, researchers are finally cracking the code on artificial intelligence. Society stands on the cusp of unprecedented change, driven by advances in robotics, machine learning, and perception powering systems that rival or exceed human capabilities. Driverless cars, robotic helpers, and intelligent agents that promote our interests have the potential to usher in a new age of affluence and leisure-but as AI expert and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jerry Kaplan warns, the transition may be protracted and brutal unless we address the two great scourges of the modern developed world: volatile labor markets and income inequality.

In Humans Need Not Apply, he proposes innovative, free-market adjustments to our economic system and social policies to avoid an...