First Lines Friday – 12/06/2026
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In today’s First Lines Friday, I’m specifically looking to feature a book on my physical, unread TBR. In last week’s Sunday Summary, I set out my intention to look through my bookshelves for such a book.
There’s a wide spectrum of genres and authors on the list. I had no agenda in terms of any particular book to feature. Rather, I nosed through what I had until I found something interesting.
I’m pleased with today’s pick. It’s a pretty topical non-fiction, and I’m keen to get to it soon whilst it’s still relevant.
Let’s take a look at the opening, then check out the details of the book!
After picking up this book and reading these first few words, you might be wondering if a human wrote them.
That’s okay. I’m not offended.
Two years ago, that thought would not have even crossed your mind. But today, machines are generating articles, books, illustrations, and computer code that seem indistinguishable from the content created by people. Remember the “novel-writing machine” in the dystopian future of George Orwell’s 1984 and his “versificator” that wrote popular music? Those things exist now, and the change happened so fast it’s given the public whiplash, leaving us wondering whether today’s office workers will have jobs in the next year or two. Millions of white-
collar professionals suddenly look vulnerable. Talented young illustrators are wondering if they should bother going to art school.
Supremacy – Parmy Olson
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 336
Audience: Adult
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Publication Date: 10 Sept 2024
When ChatGPT was released, the world changed overnight. Even as we all played with the new toy, a very real danger was quickly coming to light: that untested automations would undermine our way of life insidiously, sucking value out of our economy, replacing high-level creative jobs and enabling a new, terrifying era of disinformation.
It was never meant to be this way. The founders of the two companies behind the most advanced AIs in existence – Open AI (ChatGPT) and DeepMind (Bard) – started their journeys determined to solve humanity’s greatest problems. But they couldn’t develop their technologies without huge amounts of money – money that Microsoft and Google were more than happy to give them, in exchange for the most powerful seats at the table.
From award-winning journalist Parmy Olson, Supremacy is the astonishing, untold, behind-the-scenes story of the battle between two AI companies, their struggles to use their tech for good, and the dangerous direction that they’re now going in. Featuring a cast of larger-than-life characters, including Elon Musk, Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Peter Thiel, Supremacy is a story of manipulation, exploitation, secrecy and of ruthless, relentless human progress – progress that will impact all of us for years to come.
My Thoughts…
A book around AI and the race between two huge companies to commercialise the new technology is a very topical read. With this in mind, I’m keen to pick up Supremacy by Parmy Olson whilst its message is still culturally relevant. Especially as technology moves on so fast, the topic quickly falls out of current events and into history in the blink of an eye.
I’m interested in this book from two angles. The first is the business aspect of both Microsoft and Google competing with each other to get to market, or provide a better product, first. The second is from the perspective of wanting to learn about AI. How did two tech giants endeavour to make such a huge project? If you have played with artificial intelligence in any way, shape or form, you’ll see that it’s already pretty comprehensive. Sure, it still has its flaws, and it should be taken with a pinch of salt. However, when you consider the scope of knowledge of the average person versus what information is at your fingertips now using tool like ChatGPT or DeepMind, it’s impressive stuff.
Personally, I’m not so sure the likes of AI will threaten jobs as much as this book suggests. I can only hope it is a scaremonger and that AI becomes a tool to make our jobs easier, rather than a tool to replace humans. Jobs will look different for many, but not become absent in all cases.
I’m also excited to dive into this topical read as it’s a book on my physical TBR. I’m making an effort to get through my physical bookshelf and therefore that makes Supremacy an ideal candidate to pick up soon.
Have you read Supremacy or any other AI non-fiction books lately? If so, do you have any recommendations? If you are intrigued to read Supremacy with me, don’t forget you can use this link to grab a copy for yourself.
Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday!
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