Yes, I’m tired of hearing it, too… the term “Artificial Intelligence” is simply everywhere. But AI is here to stay. So, we must engage with it before we miss the boat and end up with a hazy understanding of how it can work in our favor. That’s how “Alles überall auf einmal” by Miriam Meckel and Léa Steinacker made it onto my reading list. The 400-page book was published back in February 2024, but only now have I found the time to dive into the authors’ insights. Surprisingly, it was easy, naturally educational and very entertaining. Even the title is a nod to the entertainment industry, specifically the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; the plot of this sci-fi dramedy serves as a fitting metaphor for the multifaceted and parallel dimensions of AI development. Fortunately, the book “Alles überall auf einmal” is more straightforward and engages readers right from the start.
“An excellent introduction to artificial intelligence,” wrote Die Zeit about the book, and it truly is. The work (also highly recommended as an audiobook) explores the beginnings of computer science with pioneers like Ada Lovelace and takes us through digressions into neural networks, bot-to-bot communication, and deepfakes, all the way to the present day. Anyone who thinks an “introduction” won’t offer anything new should remember: Just because we might use ChatGPT or Midjourney, we are all still at the beginner level when it comes to AI. And, of course, no book on AI can conclude without addressing the questions of opportunities and risks. The subtitle “How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Our World and What We Can Gain From It” already hints at this. Here, in contrast to typical German angst, there is a focus on opportunities. This is a book for which the overused term “must-read” is indeed fitting.
Text: Nina Trippel / Photos: Sophie Doering & Stephanie Pistel
“Alles überall auf einmal” by Miriam Meckel and Léa Steinacker
Around 400 pages, published by Rowohlt; audio book by Argon
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@rowohltverlag
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