10 of Bill Gates’s Favorite Books About Technology 2020
1. LIFE 3.0
by Max Tegmark
If anyone wants to about the impact and superstition of artificial intelligence this book is perfect for reading.
Max Tegmark reflected his knowledge of this book on artificial intelligence impacts in the future.
2. Should We Eat Meat?
by Vaclav Smil
Bill Gates is a big fan of what Smil writes. He’s skeptical that meat and dairy alternatives like those discussed in this issue will make a dent in global dietary habits. We might disagree on that particular point, but I think Smil has smart things to say about how to feed the world without destroying the planet.
3. I Contain Multitudes
by Ed Yong
I’m fascinated by microbes, and the human gut might hold the key to fixing all sorts of medical issues. I was particularly interested in Yong’s account of how the bacteria that live in our digestive systems might be manipulated to prevent malnutrition.
4. The Emperor of All Maladies
by Siddhartha Mukherjee
This Pulitzer Prize-winning “biography” of cancer is a beautifully told account of the progress made in fighting the disease over the last century. Some of the scientific advances that have resulted have led to other breakthroughs, like the vaccines included in this year’s breakthrough technologies list.
5. Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo
Boo’s deeply reported narrative of life in a Mumbai slum might seem like an odd choice for a list of books about technology. But she offers perhaps the clearest look I’ve seen at the world’s sanitation challenges. This one is essential reading for anyone hoping to reinvent the toilet.
6. Homo Deus
by Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval in this book- describes a bleak future without sickness, hunger, and war—but where godlike elites and super-intelligent robots and consider the rest of humanity to be superfluous. I’m more optimistic than he is about the chances of averting such a dystopia. If you’re looking to tackle tomorrow’s challenges, he always or offers some great food for thought.
7. Enlightenment Now
by Steven Pinker
In my starting or opening startup issue, I always write about how innovations are increasingly aimed at improving quality of life. Pinker explains why in Enlightenment Now (which happens to be my favorite book). He looks at 15 different measures of progress to explain how and why the world is getting better and better.
8. Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air
by David MacKay
If you’re interested in learning where energy comes from, how it is used, and what challenges are involved in switching to new sources, I can’t recommend this book highly enough—and it will help you get more out of the next book on my list.
9. Energy Myths and Realities
by Vaclav Smil
Smil convincingly argues that our present-day energy infrastructure will persist. He and I share a belief that nuclear power, which can use existing infrastructure while also reducing carbon emissions, will be an important electricity source for decades.
10. The Most Powerful Idea in the World
by William Rosen
For understanding how innovations change the world and evolve over time, Rosen’s comprehensive history of the steam engine is as good a book as you will find.
There’s no such thing as a “tech person” in the age of AI. We need to stop perpetuating the false dichotomy between technology and the humanities. To do otherwise would be detrimental to society.
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- First Published:
- This article was first published on January 11th, 2017
- First Update:
- This article was first updated on July 29, 2018
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- This article was secondly re-updated on April 12, 2019
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- This article was last updated on June 29th, 2020
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