Paid link. NEDness may earn a small commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. Our book choices are never influenced by this.
What the book does
Suleyman examines the opportunities and risks created by rapidly advancing technologies, especially AI and synthetic biology. He describes the ‘containment problem’: how societies can benefit from powerful, widely accessible technologies while maintaining meaningful control over their development, use and potential consequences.
What it changes in practice
The book encourages boards to ensure their AI discussions consider governance and digital transformation at the same time. It triggers directors and trustees to understand where AI is being deployed in their organisation, what data and infrastructure it depends on, who is accountable for its decisions and outcomes, and whether existing governance and risk frameworks can keep pace with novel technologies.
Why I recommend it
What I found most useful is the tension at the centre of the book. Technological progress cannot realistically be stopped, but leaving powerful technologies unconstrained carries significant consequences. For boards, that tension between innovation and control is already very real. The book made me think differently about whether traditional governance processes can move quickly enough when the technology itself is evolving so rapidly.
One caveat is the book’s deliberately urgent tone. Some scenarios are quite extreme, and the proposed solutions are often rather ambitious, so not every argument will convince the reader. However, this also makes it a useful tool for challenge and debate. The book was first published in 2023, so its examples and its account of regulation are now dated, but the central argument about containment holds.
Who it suits
All non-executive directors and trustees, especially in organisations where innovation is moving faster than their existing governance frameworks.
Recommended by
Peggy Curley, NEDness Co-founder and Chief Communications Officer