Acknowledgments xiii
Preface xvii
Introduction 1
The Turing test and after 5
From self-driving cars to space robots: disruptive technology and the digital universe 10
The arguments of this book 15
1 The digital universe 23
Complex digital systems 26
Digital life: theoretical perspectives 40
2 The rise of robotics 52
Technology and automation 54
The fourth industrial revolution: the sceptics and their critics 55
Globalization and offshoring 66
Robotics and jobs: where we stand 73
3 Digital life and the self 78
The self as information system 80
Turkle: narcissism and the new solitude 84
Critical remarks 86
Containment, storage and digital keys 94
4 Digital technologies and social interaction 106
The institutional organization of social interaction: faceto-face and digitally mediated action frameworks 107
Bots, talk and co-presence 118
Dimensions of the digital revolution: portals, desynchronization, instantaneity 126
Digital noise: silence is golden? 130
5 Modern societies, mobility and artificial intelligence 133
Automated automobility: the Google car 135
New wars, drones and killer robots 141
6 AI and social futures 156
Robot intimacy 160
Healthcare after AI 170
Democracy beyond AI 180
AI futures and public policy 195
Notes 202
Index 238