The human brain possesses some capabilities that the brains of other animals lack. It is to these remarkable abilities that our species owes its dominant position. Other animals have stronger muscles or sharper claws, but we possess smarter brains. Should machine intelligence one day surpass human brains in general intelligence, this new superintelligence could become very powerful. Just as the fate of gorillas now depends more on us humans than on the gorillas themselves, the fate of our species would then depend on the actions of machine superintelligence. But we have one advantage: we get to make the first move. Will it be possible to create a first AI or design initial conditions to control an explosion of intelligence? How can we achieve a controlled explosion? To get closer to an answer to this question, we must navigate a fascinating landscape of topics and considerations. Read the book and learn more about oracles, spirits, individuals; On boxing methods, traps, and mind crime; on the cosmic gift to humanity and differential technological development; indirect normativity, instrumental convergence, whole-brain emulation, and technology combinations; Malthusian economics and dystopian evolution; artificial intelligence, biological cognitive enhancement, and collective intelligence. This ambitious and original book carefully navigates difficult intellectual terrain. Yet, the text is so clear that everything seems simple. After a captivating journey that takes us to the frontiers of thinking about the human condition and the future of intelligent life, we find in Nick Bostrom's work nothing less than a reconceptualization of the essential task of our time.