What are the 5 books that Bill Gates recommends for this Christmas

On this occasion, the fourth richest person on the planet, in addition to science books, also favored those of genre of “science fiction”, which, as he points out, were the ones who captivated him as a child: “When I was a kid I was obsessed with science fiction,” Gates recalls. “There was something exciting for me in those stories that pushed the limits of what was possible.”

Know what the Christmas reading list is that the mogul posted on his Gate Notes blog.

A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins.

This book by the co-inventor of PalmPilot, described by Gates as “one of the pioneers of mobile computing,” presents a new theory of intelligence “in which he proposes a revolution in the understanding of intelligence, but also a disruption in the development of AI.

Hawkins believes that the future of AI must be based on an understanding of brain function. He is the founder of Palm Computing, established the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, and runs the Silicon Valley-based neuroscience and AI research company Numenta.

Gates praises the book for its refreshing (“appropriate for non-experts”) approach to a subject that, according to him, will eventually “help us tackle truly complex and multifaceted challenges, like improving medicine.”

There is also a personal connection. Gates recalls “helplessly watching” his father fade away from Alzheimer’s disease, an experience that he said made him aware of how much of the human brain is still not understood.

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race, by Walter Isaacson.

According to Gates, this latest book by the esteemed biographer of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin is “much broader” than a simple portrait of Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who helped discover CRISPR, a gene editing technique. to modify DNA.

“Crispr is one of the coolest and perhaps most important scientific breakthroughs of the last decade. I know him from my work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but I learned a lot from this comprehensive and accessible book that talks about the discovery of this technique, which was made by Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues. colleagues, ”Gates wrote. “Isaacson does a good job of highlighting the most important ethical issues around gene editing,” concluded the businessman.

Klara and the sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro.

It is the fictional story of a robot who provides company to a sick girl. Gates says he was interested in this book because of its rare description of “a future in which robots improve our lives.” In a dystopian society where children are genetically altered to be smarter, Klara and the Sun focuses on a girl, Josie, who falls ill in the middle of the risky procedure.

Find comfort in this non-human friend. “While reading the book, I couldn’t help but think about which parts of it paint a picture of our probable future,” says Gates, adding that he believes that “one day we will have robots that will keep us company and will be utilitarian in our lives.”

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.

Another work of fiction, albeit loosely linked to real life events. This book imagines the life of William Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, and how his tragic death at age 11 may have influenced one of his most famous plays. Hamlet was written just two years after the young man’s death, which O’Farrell takes advantage of to weave what Gates applauds as a “poignant explanation of how Shakespeare channeled his pain and guilt into writing.” Gates is a self-proclaimed “fan” of Shakespeare, and says that he is always willing to explore the famous life of the playwright, even if it is fiction.

Ave Maria Project, by Andy Weir.

A more cheerful choice. This new book from the author of The Martian tells the crazy story about a high school science teacher who wakes up in a different star system with no memory of how he got there. The rest of the story is about how he uses science and engineering to save the day. It’s a fun read and I finished everything in one weekend, “added the American businessman.