Meaning Is Everywhere: Language, Artificial Intelligence, Society

Meaning Is Everywhere sketches a theory of meaning from the ground up—with potentially profound consequences. In a sweeping narrative that arcs from the origins of meaning through the emergence of present-day science and technology, Prashant Parikh offers a fresh perspective on some of the most significant challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world, including the promise of AI, relief from scarcity and polarization, and the possibility of at least partial utopias.

Reviews:

"Meaning Is Everywhere is an ambitious and profound book, spanning several disciplines from philosophy to the social sciences, the arts, and artificial intelligence. It offers a farsighted and foundational approach to several important contemporary debates, and its original insights into AI and ChatGPT will resonate with theorist and practitioner alike. A game-changing book, capable of altering the global conversation."

—Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman, Infosys, and Founding Chairman, UIDAI (Aadhaar)

"Prashant Parikh is a leading researcher in the interdisciplinary study of meaning, with important contributions in philosophy, linguistics, game theory, and AI. In this remarkably original and wide-ranging book, he suggests potentially revolutionary applications of meaning and game theory to broadly human concerns. For intelligent and curious readers who want to understand the deep and surprisingly ubiquitous phenomenon of meaning, this book will be a wonderful introduction."

—John Perry, Henry Waldgrave Stuart Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Stanford University.