BOOM, BUST, BREAKTHROUGH

Boom, Bust, Breakthrough is the riveting history of artificial intelligence - from the dreamers who promised thinking machines by 1970, through two devastating collapses that nearly destroyed the field, to the stunning revolution now reshaping every corner of modern life.

This isn't a tech manual. It's a human story - of genius and hubris, of billion-dollar bets and quiet persistence, of the handful of researchers who refused to abandon neural networks when the world called them fools. Their stubbornness changed everything.

What you'll discover:

• The $7,500 summer workshop that launched a scientific revolution - and the overconfident predictions that almost buried it
• Why the brightest minds in AI were spectacularly wrong about timelines - twice - and what that means for today's predictions
• The bitter 30-year war between two rival theories of intelligence, and how the losing side won
• How three ingredients - data, computing power, and one elegant architecture - finally broke the dam
• The hidden workforce earning $2/hour to make "intelligent" systems safe
• Why a Nobel laureate is now warning the world about his own life's work

Written for curious minds, not computer scientists. Every chapter brings history to life through vivid characters and dramatic turning points, with clear "How It Works" explanations that make the technology accessible to any reader. Includes discussion questions, annotated timelines, and primary source excerpts for deeper exploration.

If you want to understand the AI revolution, not just what it can do, but why it exists, who built it, and where it might take us, this book will be perfect.