Person
Nick Bostrom's book recommendations
Key facts
- Nick Bostrom has recommended or discussed 6 books on podcasts, as of October 1, 2026.
- Nick Bostrom has talked about books on 5 podcasts, as of October 1, 2026.
- Those books came up in 5 episodes, as of October 1, 2026.
- The 3 books Nick Bostrom has mentioned in the most episodes, not counting Nick Bostrom's own, as of October 1, 2026: 1984, Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Nick Bostrom aired on October 1, 2026.
Updated
Across 5 podcasts. Every show Nick Bostrom appears on, in one place — not just one.
Nick Bostrom’s most recommended books
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Works of the Reverend John Wesley, A. M. by John Wesley
Nick Bostrom is a philosopher known for his work on existential risk, the anthropic principle, human enhancement ethics, whole brain emulation, superintelligence risks, and the reversal test. He was the founding director of the later defunct Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford and has become Principal Researcher at the Macrostrategy Research Initiative. Bostrom discussed his influential book Superintelligence on programs like StarTalk Radio, Interesting Times, and the Big Technology Podcast, noting that he began writing it in 2008 and that it was published in 2014. He explained that the earlier book focused predominantly on the downside and potential risks of developing artificial general intelligence, a topic that became much more widely recognized following its release, and he referenced specific chapters detailing possible paths to superintelligence. In contrast, Bostrom discussed his more recent book, Deep Utopia, explaining that it takes a different analytical approach by examining what a best-case scenario would look like if things go maximally well and exploring the philosophical questions of value and utopia that arise in a future state of advanced artificial intelligence.
Books recommended by Nick Bostrom
-
Superintelligence
Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom is an influential examination of the potential paths, scenarios, and existential risks associated with the emergence of artificial superintelligence.
Discussed“And so back when I started working on the first book, “Superintelligence,” I began writing on that in 2008.”
Where to get it
-
Deep Utopia
Deep Utopia by Nick Bostrom is a philosophical examination of the optimal scenarios and best-case futures for humanity following the advent of advanced artificial intelligence.
Discussed“And that’s then, is the question that utopia the book is wrestling with and I think.”
Where to get it
-
1984
1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme surveillance, historical denial, and psychological manipulation.
Discussed“and and there's like a number of these that most people would like the you know 1984 Brave New World handmaid's taale like all of these”
Where to get it
-
Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a classic dystopian science fiction novel that depicts a technologically advanced future society controlled through engineered reproduction, psychological conditioning, and constant superficial pleasure.
Discussed“and and there's like a number of these that most people would like the you know 1984 Brave New World handmaid's taale like all of these”
Where to get it
-
The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale is Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel about a totalitarian society where women's rights are stripped away and a select few are forced into reproductive servitude.
Discussed“and and there's like a number of these that most people would like the you know 1984 Brave New World handmaid's taale like all of these”
Where to get it
-
The Works of the Reverend John Wesley, A. M.
Discussed“first discovered by Brandon Carter was a theoretical physicist and then developed by philosopher John Wesley I think it might have been discovered initially in the 70s or 80s and Lester wrote this book I think in 96”
Where to get it
Nick Bostrom talked about Superintelligence, one of the books trending on podcasts right now.
Books by Nick Bostrom
Appearances
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“alignment problem which kind of was the focus of my previous book super intelligence came out in 2014 which is basically the challenge of how to make sure that as we develop increasingly capable AI systems and ultimately super intelligences how we can make sure that they are aligned”
“and maybe we can avoid going down the path of you know Brave New World or something um um but um this book deep Utopia let me promote it”
“and when I wrote the book super intelligence at that point I felt that was a kind of neglect of what would happen if AI succeeds and in particular a need to get a more granular understanding of where the pitfalls are so we can avoid them”