AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee
A readable 2018 primer on the US and China AI race that now shows its age.
The short version
- Readers curious about China's tech industry
- Managers and policy readers thinking about automation and jobs
- Anyone wanting a nontechnical introduction to the business side of AI
- You want a current account of AI after 2018
- You want a technical explanation of how AI systems work
What owners like
- Accessible to general readers, not only technologists
- Insider view of the Chinese tech scene from someone who worked at Apple, Microsoft and Google
- Concrete framework for thinking about which jobs are at risk
Common complaints
- Focuses on deep learning to the exclusion of other kinds of AI
- Promotes a zero sum view of the US and China and overstates the payoff of state backed tech investment
- Written in 2018, so it does not cover later AI developments
Based on The book's Amazon and Google Books listings, the Wikipedia summary of its critical reception including Foreign Affairs, a review in Judicature from Duke Law, and Lee's own 2020 reflections on the book..
Research scores
Scored from the maker's specs and what owners report. Drew's own notes and photos will refine these.
Ownership
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What it does
A 2018 nonfiction book by AI researcher and investor Kai-Fu Lee on the race between China and the United States in artificial intelligence and what it means for jobs.
- Explains why Lee thinks China's data, engineers, startup culture and state support give it an edge in applied AI
- Lays out four waves of AI: internet, business, perception and autonomous
- Sorts jobs by how exposed they are to automation, with examples from telemarketing to psychiatry
- Weighs universal basic income and other responses to job loss
- Ends with a personal section on how humans and AI might coexist
A clear, readable primer for anyone who wants to understand how China built its AI industry and how automation could reshape work. The trade-off is that it was written in 2018, and critics argue it leans too heavily on deep learning and frames the US and China contest in zero sum terms.
How it compares
Specs
- Author
- Kai-Fu Lee
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- First published
- September 25, 2018
- Pages
- 272 (first edition)
- ISBN of this listing
- 9780358105589
- Genre
- Nonfiction, technology and business
Questions
What is AI Superpowers about?
It argues that China has caught up with the US in applied AI and explores how AI will disrupt both blue collar and white collar jobs.
Who is Kai-Fu Lee?
An AI researcher and venture capitalist who previously held roles at Apple, SGI, Microsoft and Google.
Is AI Superpowers still relevant?
Its framework on jobs and the US and China rivalry is still widely cited, but it predates recent AI developments. In 2020 Lee said he expected the pandemic to speed up the trends he described.
What are the main criticisms?
Foreign Affairs faulted its zero sum framing, its narrow focus on deep learning and its generalizations about Chinese data.
Sources
- Amazon.com: AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
- Google Books: AI Superpowers
- Wikipedia: AI Superpowers
- Judicature (Duke Law): I recommend AI Superpowers
- Goodreads: Kai-Fu Lee's AI Superpowers and his reflections on AI in 2020
Researched 2026-10-02. We bought this product; our page is built from the maker's details and what owners report across reviews and forums. We never copy Amazon customer reviews.