The Emergent Mind: How Intelligence Arises in People and Machines

‘Excellent’ – Geoffrey Hinton, the ‘godfather of AI’ and 2024 Nobel laureate in Physics ‘An indispensable guide to both ourselves and the coming age of AI’ – Mustafa Suleyman, bestselling co-author of The Coming Wave

How does our consciousness – our ability to think, feel and act – actually work? How is this human intelligence different from artificial intelligence? And as we stand on the brink of a new era of machine intelligence, how are these realms of intelligence beginning to intersect?

In The Emergent Mind, leading scientists Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland offer a groundbreaking new perspective on these urgent questions. By examining the concept of emergence – where complex systems arise from the interaction of simple elements – they reveal how mind-like abilities form in both human intelligence and AI.

Drawing on the foundational idea of neural networks, a framework inspired by the human brain and now the bedrock of modern AI, this insightful book offers a clear and accessible path to understanding how intelligence takes shape. The Emergent Mind provides a fascinating account of how we reach decisions, why we change our minds and how we are affected by context and experience. They are showing how a data-driven neural network can create thoughts, emotions and ideas – a mind – whether in humans or machines.

Written by experts at the forefront of cognitive science and AI, The Emergent Mind is an essential read for anyone captivated by the mysteries of human intelligence or the transformative rise of AI.

‘Fascinating’ – Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of How Emotions Are Made ‘Deeply stimulating and disarmingly accessible’ – Robert Sapolsky, author of Determined ‘Lucid, invaluable’ – Steven Pinker, author of Rationality

© 2025 Macmillan (Audiobook): 9781035088379

Release date

Audiobook: 23 October 2025