12 Bytes

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

A 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK IN THE GUARDIAN, FINANCIAL TIMES AND EVENING STANDARD

Twelve bytes. Twelve eye-opening, mind-expanding, funny and provocative essays on the implications of artificial intelligence for the way we live and the way we love - from Sunday Times-bestselling author Jeanette Winterson.

In this original, deeply researched and lively new book, Jeanette Winterson traces the history of the AI revolution. She talks to some of the boldest and most imaginative thinkers in the field and looks to religion, myth and literature to help us understand the radical changes to the way we live and love that are just around the corner.

When we create non-human life-forms, will we do so in our image? Or will we accept the once-in-a-species opportunity to remake ourselves in their image?

What do love, caring and attachment look like with a non-biological life form? And what happens to the gender binary?

What will happen when our destiny is not contained by physical bodies, and our destination is not planet Earth?

With wit, compassion and curiosity, Winterson tackles AI's most urgent talking points, and asks readers to consider their role in imagining a more just and equal future.

"What makes this audiobook essential listening is not just its content (a mix of enthusiasm and castigation), but the electricity of Winterson's narration." - Times, Audiobook of the Week

© Jeanette Winterson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critics Review

  • Thought provoking and necessary

    Guardian

  • Briskly and breezily, it [12 Bytes] joins the dots in a neglected narrative of female scientists, visionaries and code-breakers

    Observer

  • 12 punchy, fact-laden and witty essays… Her writing engulfs you in lucid, fairytale-like realities that take you on gender-bending and time-warped explorations of religion, love, sex, and sexual identity.

    Independent

  • An unusual and entertaining read…[12 Bytes] is inflected with the same delightful, dry humour as the rest of her work… With its imaginative, insightful and wide-ranging essays, 12 Bytes will undoubtedly prompt readers to begin their own circlings around AI.

    New Scientist

  • Aspects of this AI future are frightening…[and] for any non-scientist wanting to understand the challenges and possibilities of this brave new world, I can’t think of a more engaging place to start.

    Observer

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