Book review: Kevin Roose offers a guide to the fast-moving AI era
Jacob Aron reviews The AGI Chronicles by Kevin Roose, a book tracing the recent history of artificial intelligence from OpenAI's founding to today. Roose argues the race to build artificial general intelligence is comparable to the Manhattan Project, though much of it is driven by private companies. The review notes Roose interviewed more than 150 insiders at OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind.
Jacob Aron’s review places Kevin Roose’s book as a recent-history primer, covering the period from OpenAI’s launch through today. It notes that while language models existed earlier, public access to ChatGPT in 2022 marked the turning point. Earlier milestones such as IBM’s Watson and DeepMind’s AlphaGo are mentioned as prior waves.
Roose reportedly spoke with over 150 people inside OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind. The book describes OpenAI’s origins among founders worried DeepMind might reach AGI first, Musk’s later departure, and Anthropic’s formation with a safety emphasis. It also compares the AGI race to a wartime nuclear program, though led largely by companies.
This review may help general readers understand how AI companies shape public debate. By highlighting insider access and AGI beliefs, it could influence how investors, policymakers, workers, and students perceive AI’s trajectory. Greater awareness of safety factions and commercial incentives may encourage more scrutiny of corporate claims. Yet because the book reflects an AGI-optimist lens, readers may also encounter a partial view, so its societal impact could depend on how critically it is received.