Summer reading: six books on my nightstand about artificial intelligence

Who says school is out in summer? It’s the time to catch up — on reading. Here are six suggestions for books to read about technology.

By Raghu Santanam

Chair, Department of Information Systems

We have a significant number of students taking summer classes (and most of them have to be in class every day of the week). I guess it is better to be inside the classroom than bake outside in the sizzling Valley heat.

If you, like me, are stuck in Phoenix over the summer — here is another way to make good use of your time. Catch up on reading about technology. There is never a shortage of books on the subject. Here's what I'm reading:

1. Leading Digital: Turning Technology into Business Transformation by George Westerman, Didier Bonnet, and Andrew McAfee
2. The Digital Transformation Playbook: Rethink Your Business for the Digital Age by David Rogers
3. Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane by Brett King
4. Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Jerry Kaplan
5. The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross

If you see a pattern in this reading list, you are right. I'm trying to better understand the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart technologies on the future of work, businesses, and our lives. If you want to get a primer on the impacts of AI, be sure to also read, Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, by Martin Ford. Have a great summer.