Introduction

This book challenges the confusion and sensationalism dominating today’s discussions about artificial intelligence by going straight to the root: we misunderstand AI because we misunderstand intelligence itself. The author reframes the debate, connecting the rise of AI to enduring questions of being, subjectivity, and play.

Background and Approach

Drawing on over thirty years of pioneering work on the nature of subjectivity and its connection to creativity and risk, the book argues that intelligence is not uniquely human—nor does it require consciousness. Instead, intelligence arises wherever play can sustain and evolve itself, be it in ecosystems, animal behavior, or cultural systems.

Implications of AI

The emergence of artificial intelligence is not metaphysically unprecedented; it is, rather, a shift in scale and context. Rejecting both optimism and pessimism, the book offers a balanced, incisive vision of what we are truly confronting in the age of AI.

Conclusion

This book offers a thought-provoking account of AI’s real implications and is of great interest to philosophers interested in epistemology and technology.