Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024

'There’s nothing like a long plane journey to rediscover the joys of reading an entire book in one sitting and I have just had that pleasure [with Madhumita Murgia's Code Dependent], understanding the dangers of where AI might take us.' – Anne Sebba, The Guardian

'Code Dependent is the intimate investigation of AI that we’ve been waiting for, and it arrives not a moment too soon.' – Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

'Murgia combines her deep experience of the last decade in technology with incredible storytelling and the result is a nuanced, thoughtful and very accessible picture of a world deeply affected by AI.' – Martha Lane Fox

What does it mean to be human in a world that is rapidly changing thanks to the development of artificial intelligence, of automated decision-making that both draws on and influences our behaviour?

Through the voices of ordinary people in places far removed from Silicon Valley, Code Dependent explores the impact of a set of powerful, flawed, and often exploitative technologies on individuals, communities, and our wider society. Madhumita Murgia, AI Editor at the FT, exposes how AI can strip away our collective and individual sense of agency – and shatter our illusion of free will.

AI is already changing what it means to be human, in ways large and small. In this compelling work, Murgia reveals what could happen if we fail to reclaim our humanity.