A 2026 Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide · Wednesday, October 28
Best Books to Actually Understand AI
Is AI overhyped or truly world changing? These 12 books help you separate facts from fiction.
The Twelve Books
Books to Actually Understand AI
Unmasking AI
by Joy Buolamwini
The book that inspired a movement, this is Algorithmic Justice League founder Joy Buolamwini’s exploration of algorithmic bias and her world changing fight to make AI accountable.
About the author. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, whose MIT research exposed racial and gender bias in facial recognition systems. She also appears in the documentary Coded Bias.
The Worlds I See
by Fei-Fei Li
Fei-Fei Li’s memoir traces her path from immigrant teenager to AI pioneer, and makes a thoughtful gift for anyone curious about how modern artificial intelligence was built and why humans should guide it.
About the author. Fei-Fei Li is a Stanford computer science professor who created ImageNet, co-founded Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI, and served as chief scientist of AI at Google Cloud.
The Infinity Machine
by Sebastian Mallaby
Sebastian Mallaby profiles Demis Hassabis and the rise of DeepMind, from chess prodigy to AI pioneer, making it a sharp gift for anyone curious about who is building superintelligence.
About the author. Sebastian Mallaby is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He wrote More Money Than God and The Man Who Knew, a biography of Alan Greenspan.
Prophecy
by Carissa Véliz
Oxford ethicist Carissa Véliz argues that prediction, from ancient oracles to modern AI, is mainly a tool for power, making this a good choice to share with anyone skeptical of forecasting hype.
About the author. Carissa Véliz is an associate professor at Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI and wrote Privacy Is Power, which The Economist named a Book of the Year.
I Am Not a Robot
by Joanna Stern
Joanna Stern spends a year handing her work, chores, health, and travel to AI tools and robots, then reports on what actually worked. A funny, useful gift for anyone curious about the limits of what we should (or shouldn’t) hand over to AI.
About the author. Joanna Stern is a tech journalist and NBC News chief tech analyst who founded New Things Media. She spent over a decade as the Wall Street Journal’s personal technology columnist and won an Emmy.
Co-Existence
by Ethan Mollick
Ethan Mollick’s follow-up to Co-Intelligence argues the future of AI is about interaction, not replacement, and shows how to work alongside it while keeping your own judgment sharp.
About the author. Ethan Mollick is a professor at the Wharton School who studies entrepreneurship and innovation, and the author of the bestseller Co-Intelligence on working alongside AI.
The AGI Chronicles
by Kevin Roose
Kevin Roose tells the inside story of the race among OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind to build artificial superintelligence, drawing on more than 150 interviews. A frequent pick for best business book of the year.
About the author. Kevin Roose is a New York Times technology columnist and co-host of the Hard Fork podcast. He previously wrote Futureproof and Young Money.
Cognitive Kin
by Christophe Kolb and Rosen
Kolb and Rosen map the point where AI stops being a feature and becomes a workforce, and how leadership shifts from managing people to orchestrating networks of intent.
About the author. Christophe Kolb is founder and CEO of Taller and holds a Caltech Ph.D. in computation and neural systems. Jan Rosen is its chief innovation officer and previously led engineering efforts at Venmo and PayPal.
AI Snake Oil
by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor
Two Princeton computer scientists separate what AI can really do from marketing hype, giving a clear-eyed guide for anyone who has to judge the next bold claim about artificial intelligence. Plus it has one of the best book titles of the genre!
About the author. Arvind Narayanan is a Princeton computer science professor, and Sayash Kapoor is a Princeton researcher. Together they write the AI Snake Oil newsletter and study the societal effects of AI.
The Invisible Interface
by Harry Glorikian
What happens when AI agents stop waiting for the prompt? In this eye-opening book, technology industry pioneer Harry Glorikian shows why the future will require us to ask entirely different questions when the interface becomes invisible.
About the author. Harry Glorikian is a healthcare and life sciences investor who co-wrote MoneyBall Medicine, hosts The Harry Glorikian Show podcast, and has spent three decades founding and funding technology ventures.
The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI
by Cory Doctorow
Cory Doctorow explains the “reverse centaur,” a person forced to serve a machine, and argues for making AI work for people. Another hit from a popular tech thinker.
About the author. Cory Doctorow is a novelist, activist, and technology critic who coined the term “enshittification.” He has written many books of fiction and nonfiction, including Walkaway and The Internet Con.
Brave New Words
by Salman Khan
Khan Academy founder Salman Khan offers the most credible early map of how AI will transform how our kids learn, and why that future is more hopeful than we fear.
About the author. Salman Khan founded Khan Academy, the nonprofit online learning platform, after a career as a hedge fund analyst. He holds degrees from MIT and Harvard Business School.
Prefer A Mystery?
Future Words Secret Gift Box
Ssshhh! If you’re ok with a secret and love surprises, this box is for you!*
Join The Waitlist*Available first come first serve. May include free sample products from partners, bonus notebook, non-obvious goodies, mystery books from author friends and lots more. US mailing addresses only.
Buy It Local
Every book in these guides can be ordered by your local independent bookstore.
- Find your nearest indie bookstore.
- Ask for the title by name. Booksellers can order almost anything.
- Tag your local bookstore and tell us which guide sent you.
Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is November 28, 2026. It is a good day to pick up a few books from the shop around the corner.
A Note From Rohit
How These Books Were Selected
Every book in these guides was chosen by me, from my own bookshelf. As an avid reader and the host of the Non-Obvious Book Awards, I see a lot of books every year. These gift guides compile my absolute favorites.
- Readability. Every book offers a great reading experience.
- Originality. All titles are “non-obvious” and thoughtful.
- Giftability. The packaging and design must be impressive as a gift.
- Award Winners. Many books are past selections of the Non-Obvious Book Awards.
All books in this guide were hand selected and read by a human. AI was not used in the book selections.
Coming December 1
The 2026 Non-Obvious Book Awards winners are announced December 1.
Many books in these guides are past winners, shortlisted titles and longlisted titles from the awards. See the full list of past selections.
Explore The Book Awards
The 2025 winners
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