Benjamin Labatut's Maniac is a fascinating book that navigates between reality and fiction to explore the history of major figures in science and technology. From John von Neumann, pioneer of computer science and game theory, to Alan Turing and Paul Ehrenfest, the author blends historical facts and imagined stories to probe the impact of their discoveries, between progress and danger.
The book extends to the present day, looking back at the historic 2016 match between Lee Sedol, one of the greatest Go players, and AlphaGo, DeepMind's artificial intelligence. This confrontation marked a turning point, illustrating how machines can not only surpass human intuition, but also redefine our relationship with knowledge and creativity.
At a time when artificial intelligence is at the heart of all discussions, with the AI Summit having just ended in Paris, taking a step back from the subject and returning to its roots seems more essential than ever. Highly recommended reading!