Document details

How to Talk to AI (And How Not To)

London: Ebury Publishing (2026), 272 pp.

ISBN 978-0-7535-6198-0

Other editions: German ed.: Wie man mit KI spricht (und wie besser nicht). München: Piper Verlag, 2026

"[...] Most people still don't really understand how AI works, how to make the most of it – or what the dangers are. As some people use it to turbo-charge their productivity at work, others are falling into dangerous conspiracies, delusions and psychosis. In How to Talk to AI, award-winning technology writer Jamie Bartlett takes you inside the machine: showing how we can stay in control of our powerful new companions, even as they are changing the way we live, feel, and think. Written in his accessible style, How to Talk to AI is the essential and empowering guide to help you understand how to make the most of these incredible new technologies, without succumbing to new powers of manipulation and control." (Publisher description)
1 The Rise and Rise of the ‘Large Language Model’, 7
2 Creativity, 23
3 Work and the Professions, 41
4 Style Shifting, 63
5 Could One Poor Prompt End the World? 81
6 The Race to Jailbreak, 95
7 Emergence, 117
8 Narrative Entanglement, 135
9 Knowing Ourselves, 153
10 Love, Updated, 177
11 Will Chatbots Bring us Together or Drive us Apart? 191
Conclusion, 215
‘Ten Habits for Talking to AI Without Losing Control, 227