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Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Oprah Winfrey's pick and 5 more must-read books on AI
As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes nearly every facet of our lives, from transportation to healthcare to creative work, the literary world has stepped up with compelling explorations, warnings, and provocations. At the center of this summer's AI discourse is Culpability by Bruce Holsinger, a searing novel that has earned iconic television personality Oprah Winfrey's endorsement as her book club pick. The book forces readers to confront the real-world consequences of autonomous machines such as self-driving cars. But Holsinger's is just one voice in a growing literary chorus. From Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun to Ethan Mollick's pragmatic Co-Intelligence, we bring to you six books that approach AI from a wide range of angles: philosophical, political, economic, and personal. Publisher: Spiegel & Grau Pages: 380 Kindle (available in India): ₹2,218 American author Bruce Holsinger's book is Winfrey's book club pick for the month. It received a ringing endorsement from her: 'If you were looking for the summer read, this is it,' Winfrey said. 'I picked it because it is so prescient. It is prescient. It is right now. And it is also the future.' Holsinger's novel explores the urgent issue of artificial intelligence and moral responsibility. It explores the fallout after a self-driving minivan kills an elderly couple. It forces readers, especially those in the USA, where not all states regulate use of autonomous cars, to confront this nightmare scenario, which may happen to anybody. Holsinger interrogates what accountability means in the age of autonomous machines. I leave you with Winfrey's word of caution: 'Do not under any circumstances cut to the end. Because the end is gonna shock you no matter what.' Publisher: Faber & Faber Pages: 320 pages Paperback: Rs 382 From the pen of Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun is a poignant exploration of love, sacrifice, and artificial intelligence. Set in a dystopian future United States, the story is told from the perspective of Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend (AF) designed to provide companionship to children. Klara is purchased by a teenager who has been genetically 'lifted' for enhanced intellectual ability, a common but risky procedure in this futuristic society. Isolated and home-schooled, Josie forms a deep bond with Klara. Blending science fiction with moral philosophy, Klara and the Sun raises several unsettling questions about the possibilities of artificial intelligence and whether it can develop an emotional quotient. The novel was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: Rs 274 Paperback: Rs 740 The AI Con is a scathing takedown of AI hype and exploitation. Bender and Hanna dismiss the idea that artificial intelligence is an benevolent force. They argue it is a tech bauble enriching a few while replacing real labour with synthetic media machines, which work like plagiarism engines. From LLMs that hallucinate citations to chatbots replacing unionising workers, The AI Con calls out the industry's exploitative underbelly. This is a definitive work in the field of AI as Bender, who has featured in the TIME100 AI list of most influential people in AI, is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington. Her work, including the touchstone 'Stochastic Parrots' paper, brings a linguistic perspective to how large language models work and why the illusion they produce is so compelling. He co-author Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute and a former senior research scientist on Google's Ethical AI team. Publisher: Bodley Head Pages: 432 Paperback: Rs 638 In his 2005 bestseller, the American computer scientist predicted that computers would reach human-level intelligence by 2029, and that humans would merge with computers and become superhuman around 2045. He called the futuristic phenomenon 'the Singularity'. With AI becoming part and parcel of life, a part of his prophecy has already come true, and so in 2024 he updated his prophecy. A culmination of six decades of work, the book delves into ideas that may seem as radical as the concept of artificial intelligence in the 90s. Some futuristic ideas he explores are rebuilding the world with nanobots (a hypothetical small self-propelled machine that can reproduce), life extension beyond 120 years, and connecting our brains to the cloud to name a few. Publisher: WH Allen Pages: 256 pages Paperback: Rs 671 This book by Wharton professor Ethan Mollick is a practical guide to 'living and working with AI.' Mollick contends that AI should not be treated as a threat, but as a new co-worker. Co-intelligence draws on real-world case studies to show how generative AI tools can be partners in education, creativity, and productivity. Mollick urges readers to master this relationship: to learn with AI, not from it. This should not be mistaken as a how-to manual. The book will guide us on how to reshape our lives to accommodate the tools that are now shaping the world. Publisher: Princeton University Press Pages: 352 Paperback: ₹398 The book cuts through the noise and explains what AI can and cannot do. This is best suited to those who are overwhelmed with the product hype created through AI. Again, two of TIME's most influential voices in AI clarify areas where AI works, where it fails, and where it is dangerously oversold. From education to hiring to criminal justice, AI Snake Oil explains why many AI claims are exaggerated, and how to spot them. The authors draw are attention from the distraction of Aargue we should worry less about AI itself and more about the unaccountable power behind it.
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First Post
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick 'Culpability' delves into AI ethics
Holsinger, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, is the author of four previous novels and several works of nonfiction read more Oprah Winfrey has chosen a novel with a timely theme for her latest book club pick. Bruce Holsinger's 'Culpability' is a family drama that probes the morals and ethics of AI. 'I appreciated the prescience of this story,' Winfrey said in a statement Tuesday, the day of the novel's publication. 'It's where we are right now in our appreciation and dilemmas surrounding Artificial Intelligence, centered around an American family we can relate to. I was riveted until the very last shocking sentence!' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Holsinger, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, is the author of four previous novels and several works of nonfiction. He said in a statement that he had admired Winfrey's book club since its founding in 1996. 'Oprah Winfrey started her book club the same year I finished graduate school,' Holsinger said. 'For nearly 30 years, as I've taught great books to college students in the classroom and the lecture hall, she has shared great books with the world. Her phone call was like a thunderbolt, and I'll never forget it. I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful that she found 'Culpability' worthy of her time, praise, and recognition.' Tuesday's announcement continues Winfrey's book club partnership with Starbucks. Her interview with Holsinger, held recently at a Starbucks in Seattle, can be seen on Winfrey's YouTube channel or through other podcast outlets. List of Winfrey's last 10 Oprah's Book Club selections June 2025: 'The River is Waiting,' by Wally Lamb (Read AP's review.) May 2025: 'The Emperor of Gladness,' by Ocean Vuong (Read AP's review.) April 2025: 'Matriarch,' by Tina Knowles (Read and watch AP's interview with Knowles.) March 2025: 'The Tell,' by Amy Griffin February 2025: 'Dream State,' by Eric Puchner STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD January 2025: 'A New Earth,' by Eckhart Tolles (Winfrey has picked this book twice.) December 2024: 'Small Things Like These,' by Claire Keegan (Read AP's review.) October 2024: 'From Here to the Great Unknown,' by Lisa Maria Presley and Riley Keough. (Read AP's story about how Keough completed the book. September 2024: 'Tell Me Everything,' by Elizabeth Strout (Read AP's review.) June 2024: 'Familiaris,' by David Wroblewski.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Oprah says July book club pick hooked her 'until the very last shocking sentence'
Oprah Winfrey's latest book club selection is a high-octane family drama swirling with artificial intelligence ethics. 'Culpability' by Bruce Holsinger (out now from Spiegel & Grau) is the July pick for Oprah's Book Club, and the mogul is already dubbing it "the book of the summer." This is Winfrey's 116th book club selection, and Holsinger's novel joins a 2025 roster that includes Ocean Vuong, Wally Lamb and Tina Knowles. 'I appreciated the prescience of this story,' Winfrey said in a statement. 'It's where we are right now in our appreciation and dilemmas surrounding Artificial Intelligence, centered around an American family we can relate to. I was riveted until the very last shocking sentence!' Oprah's Book Club pick for July: 'Culpability' by Bruce Holsinger 'Culpability' is set on a summer rental on the Chesapeake Bay and follows the Cassidy-Shaws – leading AI expert Lorelei, husband Noah, tweens Alice and Izzy and teenager Charlie – whose autonomous minivan collides with another car. Each family member has a secret that implicates them in the accident. Their weeklong stay is an unraveling of moral dilemmas, skeletons in the closet and AI consequences. In an announcement on her Instagram, Winfrey called 'Culpability' 'a book that's perfect for your beach bag.' 'Let me just tell you, Gayle King was so riveted that she was reading this book in the car on the way to the Tonys,' Winfrey said in a video. Holsinger is both a fiction and nonfiction writer, the author of five novels, including 'The Displacements' and 'The Gifted School.' He is also a professor at the University of Virginia. "Oprah Winfrey started her book club the same year I finished graduate school,' Holsinger said in a statement. 'For nearly thirty years, as I've taught great books to college students in the classroom and the lecture hall, she has shared great books with the world. Her phone call was like a thunderbolt, and I'll never forget it. I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful that she found Culpability worthy of her time, praise, and recognition." Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick, 'Culpability,' delves into AI ethics
NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey has chosen a novel with a timely theme for her latest book club pick. Bruce Holsinger's 'Culpability' is a family drama that probes the morals and ethics of AI. 'I appreciated the prescience of this story,' Winfrey said in a statement Tuesday, the day of the novel's publication. 'It's where we are right now in our appreciation and dilemmas surrounding Artificial Intelligence, centered around an American family we can relate to. I was riveted until the very last shocking sentence!' Holsinger, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, is the author of four previous novels and several works of nonfiction. He said in a statement that he had admired Winfrey's book club since its founding in 1996. 'Oprah Winfrey started her book club the same year I finished graduate school,' Holsinger said. 'For nearly 30 years, as I've taught great books to college students in the classroom and the lecture hall, she has shared great books with the world. Her phone call was like a thunderbolt, and I'll never forget it. I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful that she found 'Culpability' worthy of her time, praise, and recognition.' Tuesday's announcement continues Winfrey's book club partnership with Starbucks. Her interview with Holsinger, held recently at a Starbucks in Seattle, can be seen on Winfrey's YouTube channel or through other podcast outlets. January 2025: 'A New Earth,' by Eckhart Tolles (Winfrey has picked this book twice.)
San Francisco Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oprah Winfrey's latest book club pick, 'Culpability,' delves into AI ethics
NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey has chosen a novel with a timely theme for her latest book club pick. Bruce Holsinger's 'Culpability' is a family drama that probes the morals and ethics of AI. 'I appreciated the prescience of this story,' Winfrey said in a statement Tuesday, the day of the novel's publication. 'It's where we are right now in our appreciation and dilemmas surrounding Artificial Intelligence, centered around an American family we can relate to. I was riveted until the very last shocking sentence!' Holsinger, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, is the author of four previous novels and several works of nonfiction. He said in a statement that he had admired Winfrey's book club since its founding in 1996. 'Oprah Winfrey started her book club the same year I finished graduate school,' Holsinger said. 'For nearly 30 years, as I've taught great books to college students in the classroom and the lecture hall, she has shared great books with the world. Her phone call was like a thunderbolt, and I'll never forget it. I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful that she found 'Culpability' worthy of her time, praise, and recognition.' Tuesday's announcement continues Winfrey's book club partnership with Starbucks. Her interview with Holsinger, held recently at a Starbucks in Seattle, can be seen on Winfrey's YouTube channel or through other podcast outlets. April 2025: 'Matriarch,' by Tina Knowles (Read and watch AP's interview with Knowles.) March 2025: 'The Tell,' by Amy Griffin February 2025: 'Dream State,' by Eric Puchner January 2025: 'A New Earth,' by Eckhart Tolles (Winfrey has picked this book twice.) October 2024: 'From Here to the Great Unknown,' by Lisa Maria Presley and Riley Keough. (Read AP's story about how Keough completed the book. June 2024: 'Familiaris,' by David Wroblewski.
