Machines That Think

Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to science fiction. It recommends what we watch, curates what we read, and even drafts what we write. Yet for all its influence, AI remains a mystery to many of us. How does it really work? And what happens when we place more and more of our lives in the hands of machines that “think”?

Physicist and AI researcher Inga Strümke pulls back the curtain on the most transformative technology of our time in this captivating introduction to artificial intelligence. Writing for curious minds from all backgrounds, she traces the history of AI from early chess-playing machines to modern neural networks and language models. Along the way, she explains the principles behind machine learning with a balance of clarity and depth. Strümke explores the promise of AI breakthroughs like AlphaFold, which cracked one of biology’s greatest puzzles—and spotlights the risks of biased decision-making, misinformation, and autonomous systems that sometimes fail with deadly consequences. She raises urgent questions about ethics, responsibility, and regulation: Who is accountable when AI systems make mistakes? How do we prevent algorithms from reinforcing prejudice? And how do we ensure that AI serves humanity’s highest aspirations rather than its narrowest interests?

Winner of the Brage Prize for Norwegian nonfiction, Machines That Think is an essential guide to artificial intelligence—and a call to shape the future before it shapes us.

• The journey to AI, from the first algorithms to modern applications
• Ethical and social implications of AI
• The future of machine intelligence

Your AI questions answered:

1. How are AI systems designed and how do they learn from data?

   Trace the evolution of artificial intelligence from the first algorithms to today’s “smart” machines. Explore the fundamental principles of machine learning and neural networks through clear, accessible explanations. Discover what we know—and what we don’t—about how machines learn.

2. What does responsible AI use look like?

   With AI comes a host of challenges. How can we prevent machine intelligence from inheriting human biases? Can our data remain secure in AI systems? Should these technologies be regulated—and how? Learn what it means to develop and use AI responsibly in today’s world.

3. Are we prepared for the future of human-AI interaction?

   AI can be a tool for democratizing knowledge and expanding access, or a weapon that deepens polarization and erodes trust. Examine the risks, both ethical and existential, and the strategies we might use to confront them.

In this book, you'll learn about:

• AI basics
• Algorithms and machine learning
• Neural networks and deep learning
• Machine intelligence
• AI ethics
• Bias and fairness in AI systems
• Regulation and governance
• Sustainability
• Data protection and security
• Social impacts of AI

About The Author

Inga Strümke is a Norwegian physicist specializing in artificial intelligence and machine learning. She was born in 1989 in Gummersbach, Germany, and grew up in Narvik, Norway. Strümke holds a master's degree in theoretical physics from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and a doctorate in particle physics from the University of Bergen. She is currently an associate professor at NTNU.Strümke is also known for her work in AI ethics and has received an award for science communication from the Norwegian Research Council. She published Maskiner som tenker in 2023. The book was recognized with the Brageprisen, a prestigious Norwegian literature prize.