"A much needed, sobering look at the seductive promises of new technologies. You couldn't ask for a better guide than Jack Stilgoe. His book is measured, fair and incisive." Hannah Fry, University College London, UK "Innovation has not only a rate but also a direction. Jack Stilgoe's excellent new book tackles the directionality of AI with a strong call to action. The book critiques the idea that technology is a pre-determined force, and puts forward a concrete proposal on how to make sure we are making decisions along the way that ask who is benefitting and how can we open the possibilities of innovation while steering them to deliver social benefit. He brings to his eloquent and easy to read analysis his deep (social and technical) knowledge of both the history of technological change and the philosophy of science--with a practical eye to make life better while crossing the street today." Mariana Mazzucato, University College London, UK "A cracking and insightful little book that thoughtfully examines the most important political and social question we face: how to define and meaningfully control the technologies that are starting to run our lives.

" Jamie Bartlett, author of The People vs Tech: How the Internet is Killing Democracy (and how We Save It) "Looking closely at the prospects and problems for 'autonomous vehicles,' Jack Stilgoe uncovers layer after layer of an even more fascinating story - the bizarre disconnect between technological means and basic human ends in our time. A tour de force of history and theory, the book is rich in substance, unsettling in its questions and great fun to read." Langdon Winner, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA This is a book about new technologies and democracy. Focussing on the opportunities and questions surrounding self-driving cars, it argues that there is an urgent need for collaboration between the public and private sector. We normally realise the effects of technological change only in hindsight. When technologies are new, it is not normally clear where we are going or who's driving. The people developing technology tend to accentuate the benefits, not the risks or the inequalities. Technologies are not as inevitable as the hype would suggest.

If we want to realise the opportunities of self-driving cars, spread the benefits to people who normally lose out and manage the risks, Silicon Valley ideas of disruptive innovation are a bad model. We can and should find new ways to steer innovation towards public benefit. Jack Stilgoe teaches science and technology studies at University College London, UK. He specialises in science policy and the governance of emerging technologies. On Twitter, he is @jackstilgoe.