The Coming Wave book club questions

1. 1.

   Suleyman argues that AI and synthetic biology together constitute something categorically new. What, if anything, do you think distinguishes this wave from the introduction of electricity, nuclear weapons, or the internet?

2. 2.

   The containment problem assumes that technologies diffuse toward the cheapest and most capable actors. Do you think there are historical examples where this logic was successfully interrupted?

3. 3.

   Suleyman wrote this book while actively building frontier AI. How does that affect your reading of his risk assessment — does it make his concerns more credible or does it introduce blind spots?

4. 4.

   The book argues that national competition makes unilateral slowdown irrational. What international precedents for governing dangerous technologies seem most relevant — and what do they tell us about feasibility?

5. 5.

   Which of Suleyman's proposed 'brakes' — audit requirements, liability, staged deployment, international treaties, technical kill switches — do you think is most politically achievable in the near term?

6. 6.

   The book focuses primarily on AI and synthetic biology. Are there other technologies you'd add to this wave that carry similar containment problems?

7. 7.

   Suleyman is optimistic that AI will generate enormous benefits — in health, education, productivity. Do you think he adequately weighs these benefits against the risks he identifies?

8. 8.

   If AI capabilities continue to develop at current pace, what does a realistic 'good outcome' look like to you — and what would have to happen to get there?

9. 9.

   The book argues governments are structurally slow relative to commercial AI development. What would change that — and is Suleyman's expectation that governments can catch up realistic?

10. 10.

    Suleyman acknowledges a deep personal tension: he helped build the technology he warns about. How should we weigh the moral authority of insiders who raise alarms about their own industries?

11. 11.

    Does the book change how you think about the AI products you use or the companies that build them?

12. 12.

    The last chapters propose specific policy interventions. Pick one and argue for or against it based on what you know about how technology governance has worked historically.

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.