🧠 The Best AI Books of 2025
A Curated Reading List for the AI-Curious, the Builders, and the Big Thinkers
It’s no secret that AI is evolving at breakneck speed. Whether you're building with it, managing its impact, or just trying to understand where all this is going — the right books can make all the difference.
This year, we’ve seen a wave of incredible new titles that challenge assumptions, explore the ethics, and break down the real-world tech shaping our future. Whether you're looking for deep analysis, inspiring fiction, or hands-on guidance, here’s a carefully curated list of 2025’s must-read books on AI.
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📘 Nonfiction: Big Ideas & Bold Thinkers
1. Superagency by Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman makes a powerful case that AI isn’t here to replace us — it’s here to amplify us. This is a book about harnessing AI with purpose, responsibility, and optimism. Think of it as a guide to becoming more human in an AI-powered world.
→ Available Here
2. The Thinking Machine by Stephen Witt
This is part biography, part origin story for the AI hardware era. Witt traces how Nvidia’s Jensen Huang took a gaming chip company and turned it into the engine room of the AI revolution. A brilliant deep dive into the people and decisions behind the silicon.
→ Available Now
3. The Moral Circle by Jeff Sebo
In a time when we’re teaching machines to "think," Sebo flips the script — asking who we include in our circle of moral concern. It’s a philosophical but very grounded look at why AI ethics must go beyond humans and include non-human life and even synthetic minds.
→ Available Here
4. AI Snake Oil by Arvind Narayanan & Sayash Kapoor
A razor-sharp take on the AI hype cycle. The authors don’t just critique — they demystify. From facial recognition to predictive policing, they reveal where AI is truly impactful, and where it's dangerously oversold.
→ Read Here
5. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari
Harari examines the evolution of information networks and the unprecedented challenges posed by AI to democracy and society. He emphasizes the importance of trust and self-correcting mechanisms in adapting to AI's impact.
→ Available Here
6. The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief and the Future of the West by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska
This book critiques Silicon Valley's focus on consumer technology over national welfare and security. The authors argue for closer collaboration between the state and the tech sector to maintain national security and technological superiority in the AI era.
→ Available Here
7. Digitally Invisible: How the Internet Is Creating the New Underclass by Nicol Turner Lee
Turner Lee explores how digital technologies, including AI, contribute to social and economic disparities. She highlights the importance of inclusive policies to ensure equitable access and representation in the digital age.
→ Available Here
8. Code Dependent by Madhumita Murgia
Murgia investigates how AI is reshaping our lives in both visible and hidden ways. She delves into the erosion of personal agency and challenges our notions of free will, urging readers to consider the profound effects of AI on society.
→ Available Here
9. AI Doctor: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare by Ronald M. Razmi
Razmi provides a comprehensive guide to the integration of AI in healthcare, discussing its implications for users, buyers, builders, and investors. He offers insights into how AI is transforming medical practices and patient care.
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🧠 Tools & Textbooks for the Builders
10. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell & Peter Norvig
This isn’t a new book—but it remains the gold standard. Fully updated, it continues to be the go-to reference for anyone learning the foundations of AI, from search and planning to ML and robotics.
→ Available Here
11. AI for Beginners 2025 by Spencer V. Webster
Want to build with AI, but don’t know where to start? This practical guide walks through automation, productivity tools, and how to actually use AI to grow your business or side hustle. Hands-on, not hype.
→ Available Here
🔍 Bonus Mentions: Expanding the Conversation
Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Nearer: A bold update to his 2005 predictions, with new insight into human-AI integration.
→ Available HereSalman Khan’s Brave New Words: How GPT and AI are reshaping education, from the classroom to the home.
→ Available HereJulie Carpenter’s The Naked Android: Explores how we relate to robots — emotionally, culturally, and ethically.
→ Available Here
✍️ Final Thoughts
AI books in 2025 aren’t just about algorithms. They’re about us.
How we lead. How we adapt. How we stay human.
Whether you’re coding the next big thing, navigating workplace change, or just curious about where we’re heading — these books are your guideposts.
Let me know which ones you've read — or what should’ve made the list — in the comments.