AI Assisted Book Review - Irreplaceable

'The Art of Standing Out in the Age of Artificial Intelligence'

There are four books I’ve read on AI - its exponential growth, and how it is impacting and will impact our lives and the world - that I’ve taken the most away from, and found ideas and thoughts in that have stuck with me the most. These are the first three of the four, along with a slice of their description on Amazon:

The Coming Wave - An urgent warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance—from a co-founder of the pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind and current CEO of Microsoft AI.

Co-intelligence - From Wharton professor and author of the popular One Useful Thing Substack newsletter Ethan Mollick comes the definitive playbook for working, learning, and living in the new age of AI.

Impromptu - Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI, written by Reid Hoffman with GPT-4, takes readers on a travelog of the future – exploring how AI, and especially Large Language Models like GPT-4, can elevate humanity across key areas like education, business, and creativity.

All three of those are riveting reads. The Coming Wave really hits home with its warning theme. Impromptu serves up optimism and in-depth conversations with its AI co-author. Co-intelligence is the one book that I feel like I have taken the most from in terms of how I think about working with AI every day. I plan to share my thoughts on it very soon.

Irreplaceable is the fourth of these, and the one I just finished reading a few weeks ago. Like Co-intelligence, it is a book with some core themes that I’m sure will stick me - the idea of leveraging our ‘Humics’ is at the top of the list of those.

I’ve titled this an AI Assisted book review. I’ve asked my three most used GenAI apps to write a review on the book, so that’s the AI part. The human contribution is that I asked them to write their reviews based on only one course - my notes I took on the book. Many of the notes are direct quotes and excerpts from the book. But they are the things I noted because I want to remember them, make use of them in many cases, so I feel that’s not a bad way to approach a book review.

The three GenAI apps I asked for help on this are: ChatGPT 4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Gemini Advanced 1.5 Pro. This is the prompt I gave them:

Please write a book review the Irreplaceable book based on my notes in the attached PDF. The review should offer at least 5 key takeaways and emphasize why the themes in the book are compelling and relevant today.

Gemini has not usually come out on top when I put it up against ChatGPT and Claude, but this time it was a strong 1 or 1A in my judging of the responses. I like Gemini’s because it’s the shortest, but still does a great job capturing the key takeaways and answering the “why” at the end of my prompt. It’s short enough to shre it’s full review. So here it is:

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept, but a tangible reality that is reshaping the world as we know it. The book Irreplaceable by Pascal Bornet delves into the profound impact of AI on our lives, offering a compelling guide on how to navigate this transformative era.

The book's central theme is the importance of cultivating uniquely human skills and traits, which Bornet refers to as "humics," to remain relevant and irreplaceable in the age of AI. These humics include genuine creativity, critical thinking, and social authenticity, all of which are intrinsically linked to our human experiences, emotions, and personalities.

Irreplaceable is not just a theoretical analysis of AI's impact; it also offers practical advice on how to adapt and thrive in this new world. Bornet emphasizes the need for continuous learning, unlearning, and relearning to keep pace with AI's rapid advancements. He also encourages readers to embrace AI as a partner, not a replacement, and provides a step-by-step guide on how to integrate AI into our work lives effectively.

One of the book's most compelling arguments is that AI is not something to be feared, but rather a tool to be harnessed. By focusing on our humics and cultivating essential skills, we can not only coexist with AI but also leverage its power to enhance our capabilities and achieve greater heights.

In conclusion, Irreplaceable is a timely and insightful read that offers a roadmap for navigating the age of AI. Its emphasis on human ingenuity, adaptability, and collaboration makes it a must-read for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve and remain irreplaceable in this ever-changing world.

ChatGPT did a very good job too and gave the most detailed and longest response. Claude was almost as concise as Gemini, and I especially like its opening line:

In "Irreplaceable," Pascal Bornet delivers a timely and insightful exploration of human value in an AI-driven world. Rather than joining the chorus of AI alarmists, Bornet presents a refreshingly optimistic perspective focused on human potential and adaptation.

All three of the reviews from the GenAI apps are good. I plan to export them as notes along with my own and throw them into a NotebookLM notebook for the Irreplaceable book. I’m going with Gemini as the overall best review though; Claude’s was very close but reads a little more like a book report than a book review.

My final thoughts on Irreplaceable are along these lines:

AI’s abilities are already ahead of us (humans) in some areas and they’re improving every day. It’s not over hyped or a bubble about to burst. This book, along with the Co-intelligence book, have made me a firm believer that if we want to thrive in this new age of AI we need to always be learning to work with AI tools. Ethan Mollick, the author of Co-intelligence, says this best with his “Always invite AI to the table” approach.