The Emergent Mind : How Intelligence Arises in People and Machines

Author: Gaurav Suri

Cognitive science

Published on 22 October 2026 by PAN MACMILLAN (Pan Books) in the United Kingdom

Paperback | 368 pages
197 x 130 | 0g

‘Excellent’ – Geoffrey Hinton, the ‘godfather of AI’ and Nobel laureate in Physics‘An indispensable guide to both ourselves and the coming age of AI’ – Mustafa Suleyman, bestselling co-author of The Coming WaveA New Scientist Best Book of the YearA Next Big Idea Club Book of the YearWritten by experts at the forefront of cognitive science and artificial intelligence, The Emergent Mind is an essential read for anyone captivated by the mysteries of human intelligence or the transformative rise of AI.

Have you ever wondered how our minds work – how we think, feel and act? How is this different from artificial intelligence? And with AI advancing so rapidly, how are these two worlds beginning to intersect?In this groundbreaking book, leading scientists Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland answer these urgent questions by exploring a powerful idea called ‘emergence’ – the concept that complex systems can form from the interaction of simple parts. By applying this to both the human brain and AI, they reveal how mind-like abilities take shape.

By using the concept of the neural network – the same framework inspired by the human brain that powers today’s AI – this book offers a clear and engaging guide to understanding intelligence. The Emergent Mind offers a fascinating tour of our minds, showing how we make decisions, why we change our minds and how our thoughts are shaped by our experiences. It's a groundbreaking look at how a data-driven neural network can create thoughts, emotions and ideas – a mind – in both humans and machines.

‘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