A fascinating tale of how AI grew and the surprise role of misogyny

WALK up to anyone and ask if they know what ChatGPT is: they'll very likely offer an explanation.

- Simon Hunt

Now ask if they know what GPT stands for. Shrugging shoulders and empty stares will follow.

There is a chasm between our enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and our understanding of it.

And that is a problem. Not just because AI will be involved in a growing share of our lives, but because it will pose threats to our online world that only Al-literate folk can tackle.

Few books are more timely, therefore, than How AI Thinks, an accessible guide that walks the reader through the technology's developmental history.

Author Nigel Toon, the CEO of British semiconductor firm Graphcore that develop processors for AI, knows more about the subject than most, including - crucially what GPT stands for (it's Generative Pre-trained Transformer, to put you out of your misery).