"Required [ reading] for anyone interested in the future of the global economy or geopolitics." -- Thomas E. Ricks - New York Times Book Review "[ Paul] Scharre is a thoughtful, knowledgeable, and capable guide. He explains why AI matters and charts the areas that will determine which country gets the most out of its investments." -- Lawrence Freedman - Foreign Affairs "Scharre covers the exciting advances of the last 5 years in an accessible style.[ A] well-balanced and detailed assessment of the state of the art and a useful critique of just how fast and far the Pentagon is moving." -- Frank G. Hoffman - Joint Force Quarterly "Paul Scharre argues that the AI race between democratic and authoritarian states is well underway, and the stakes could not be higher: whoever wins will write the international rules of the next century. With revealing anecdotes, cogent analysis, and incisive insight, Scharre demystifies AI and its national security implications. If you read one book on AI this year, read this one!" -- Michèle Flournoy, former under secretary of defense for policy "A must-read guide to how the emerging artificial intelligence arms race will shape the geopolitical, economic, and political struggle between China and its authoritarian allies and the democratic West led by the United States and Europe." -- Martin Ford, author of Rule of the Robots "Scharre lays out the incredible challenges the world will face in the years to come." -- Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author "America and its military are facing a major test when it comes to AI. The country that best incorporates artificial intelligence technology into its defense will have significant military advantages over its competitors. Four Battlegrounds is an essential book for everyone involved in American leadership and American defense, because it outlines the challenges we face and explains the key components that will determine our success in using this important new technology to support American power and American ideals." -- Admiral James Stavridis, 16th supreme allied commander of NATO "Excellent.Scharre applies his unique personal combat perspective as a former U.S Army Ranger, combining it with research visits to key artificial intelligence conferences, labs and development programs around the world, as he leads readers along the cutting edge of militarizing AI." -- Scott Gourley, Army magazine "How will AI change the balance of power between authoritarian states and democracies? This is one of the most important questions in geopolitics today. Authoritarians have already figured out how to use AI to their maximum advantage, and democrats must urgently do the same or risk losing the contest. First step: Read this book, a farsighted and comprehensive survey of the issues involved and the paths forward." -- Pedro Domingos, author of The Master Algorithm "In this riveting book on AI and power by one of the leading strategists of our time, Paul Scharre highlights an existential challenge: as Americans and Chinese militarize ever more powerful AI to avoid ceding control to each other, they risk ceding too much power to machines." -- Professor Max Tegmark, MIT AI researcher and author of Life 3.0
