Since the 1980s, Andrian Kreye has accompanied the rise of digital technology from the nerd subculture to the operating system of the 21st century. In his new book “The Ghost from the Machine” he has now written down the history of digital society from the perspective of a contemporary witness. He met most of the protagonists himself. Pioneers like the father of AI Marvin Minsky, the pioneer of digitalization Al Gore and the architect of the AI boom Sam Altman, the rulers of digital monopolies like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Larry Page, but also rebels like Julian Assange, Frances Haugen and Jaron Lanier.
“The Ghost from the Machine” is not a tech book, but contemporary history. Karl Bartos, the drummer with power plant who laid the foundations for the digitalization of pop culture, says: “Andrian Kreye is a reliable guide through the digital universe.” And Alexander Kluge, who is currently working on an AI project: “Highly informative, journalistically brilliant and exciting like a ‘novel of our time’. Andrian Kreye’s ‘The Ghost from the Machine’ shows what is racing towards us and our children very quickly.”
Sarah Spiekermann, professor of business informatics and society in Vienna and author of the basic work “Digital Ethics” wrote: “Anyone who wants to understand the 40 years of digital transformation, described by a critical insider with worldly understanding, should read this book.”