New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Gary Rivlin, "AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Dollar Race to Cash In on Artificial Intelligence" (Harper Collins, 2025)
Aug 20, 2025
Gary Rivlin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "AI Valley," dives into the competitive landscape of AI development. He shares insights from tech giants like Microsoft and Google, examining the emergence of transformative tools like ChatGPT. Rivlin also explores the interplay between regulation and innovation, highlighting differing beliefs on AI oversight. He profiles key figures, including LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, and discusses the rapid evolution of AI technology and its potential societal impact, comparing it to the internet boom of the 1990s.
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The Explainability Problem Persists
- Rivlin notes the 'black box' problem: creators often cannot fully explain why models produce particular outputs.
- He compares this opacity to human cognition and cautions it's an unresolved risk as models evolve.
Early Machine Learning Mocked, Then Validated
- Rivlin recounts how Jeff Hinton and others were mocked for backing machine learning decades ago.
- Their persistence paid off when machine learning produced breakthroughs in the 2010s.
Startup Agility Beat Corporate Caution
- Google led early ML research but hesitated to release chatbots due to fear of harming core products.
- OpenAI's startup agility let it release ChatGPT and reshape the field while big firms played catch-up.
