Everyone has an opinion about AI—but is it an informed one? It’s easy to get swept up in the firestorm of online discourse, but it’s worth putting in the time to learn about this technology first.
At the same time, we’re also having a reckoning with social media; Australia recently banned social media for kids, and many countries around the world are considering following suit.
AI is not limited to online spaces: data centers are being built (and opposed), the global economy is deeply invested in the industry, and it’s upending a wide range of careers.
That’s why task #18 of the 2026 Read Harder Challenge is “Read a nonfiction book about AI or social media.” We should be entering into the debates around AI and social media with the requisite background knowledge.
Besides, there’s something satisfying about picking up a book about social media or AI: it’s the exact opposite of the instant gratification, short-form content that both technologies encourage.
I’ll show my hand here and say that most of these books are critical of both social media and AI. You can complete this task by picking up a “how to make money quick using AI” ebook, but it’s not exactly the spirit of the prompt.
These books range from measured responses to AI that weigh both the potential and the risks, to a straightforward manifesto on why you should delete your social media accounts right now.
Empire of AI by Karen Hao
Karen Hao is an AI expert and investigative journalist who began covering OpenAI in 2019 and followed it as it grew and subsequently abandoned the values it began with. A winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, this bestseller is a perfect place to start if you’re looking to learn more about AI and ChatGPT in particular. —Danika Ellis
Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
This book was first published in 2018, but its arguments are just as relevant today. Lanier goes through ten reasons that the harms of using social media outweigh any benefits, including its effects on our emotions (making us angrier and less empathetic), our communication skills, and our politics. —Danika Ellis
All Access members, read on for six more nonfiction books about AI and social media.
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