In the suburbs of near-future London, two childhood friends discuss the creation of a
technology company that elevates awareness and well-being.
What begins in a garage grows into a ubiquitous enterprise that changes what it means to be alive.
The Consciousness Company is a funny, philosophical and prophetic story about companies without limits, and technology that can rewire minds.
On the way to a New York stock market listing, the company’s founders join forces with a sceptical investor, a venture capital fund impressed by their early success, and an ethics committee buckling under its
godlike responsibility. As the company’s artificial intelligence reads, analyses and inserts thoughts into its members’ minds, the lines between individuals blur, and the company’s users wade through their own psyches, guided by devices that know them better than they know themselves.
A question lingers—in what form will humanity survive after all this? Step into The Consciousness Company and lose yourself in the substance of existence.
M. N. Rosen has worked for more than 20 years in the financial services industry,
most recently for a foundation which invests in climate-focused technology
businesses. In The Consciousness Company he draws on his experience working with early-stage technology and impact businesses, as well as for private equity andventure capital firms, and, at the beginning of his career, an investment bank.
M.N. Rosen is 44 years old and lives in North London with his wife and three young children. He graduated from New College, Oxford in 2001 with a first-class degree in philosophy, politics and economics.
#TheConsciousnessCompany
My thoughts: This was something different to my usual reading and it took me a while to get into it, the writing style is very distinctive and the decision not to use names, but instead the roles of the different characters takes getting used to. It’s a genre bending exploration of business, high finance and who has the right to your thoughts. The company itself contains, processes and manipulates the thoughts of its users – social media on steroids.
It’s a thought provoking read, and leaves the reader with a lot of questions about the role of technology in our lives. It’s certainly timely as AI becomes ever more prevalent and debates about the role of intelligent software grow more common. I found it very interesting and stimulating, as well as wryly entertaining.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 