New book examines the race to develop artificial intelligence
New book reveals AI developers are driven by fear, fueled by computing power, and society is already in the early stages of superintelligence.
(Photo via Fast Company)
Technology journalist Kevin Roose released a new book on Oct. 6, 2026, titled The AGI Chronicles: The Inside Story of the Race to Create an Artificial Superintelligence. The work provides an account of the development of artificial general intelligence based on more than 150 interviews with industry insiders and internal documents from companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind.
In a Nov. 6, 2026, briefing for Fast Company, Roose outlined five primary takeaways from his research. He noted that a significant number of individuals involved in the development of AI are driven by fear rather than solely by the expectation of positive outcomes. Roose observed that while some developers aim to address global challenges like poverty or disease, others are motivated by concerns regarding the technology's trajectory.
The book highlights that the progress in the field has been largely attributed to the use of substantial computing power. Roose also points to the concept of feeling the AGI as a factor in the development process. He argues that the industry lacks a definitive finish line and suggests that society is already operating within the early stages of this technology.
Roose, a co-founder of Machine Gods Media and former technology columnist for The New York Times, concludes that current institutions remain unprepared for the implications of these advancements. He stated that the world is currently living through the initial, imperfect years of artificial general intelligence.