Unpicking AI
One Token at a Time
Making AI accessible to everyone, taking you step by step from AI "numpty" to joining the conversation confidently
By Al Kingsley MBE
Edited by Liz Bury
For everyone who nods along when AI comes up and hopes nobody asks a follow-up question.
Almost everyone you know is bluffing about AI.
The colleague who nods sagely when ‘large language models’ come up. The uncle forwarding articles about robots taking everyone’s jobs. The politician on the radio ‘harnessing the power of artificial intelligence’. Hardly any of them could tell you, even roughly, what happens when you type a question into ChatGPT and press Enter. They’re not stupid; nobody has ever explained it to them in words they can use.
This book does. In plain English, with no maths and no jargon left unexplained, Al Kingsley takes you inside the machine everyone talks about and almost nobody understands, one token at a time.
What's inside
Inside: what actually happens in the two seconds after you press Enter; why chatbots make things up with such confidence, and how to catch them out; the risks worth taking seriously, and the ones that belong in the cinema; how to use AI on purpose, at home, at work and at school; and seventy years of booms, winters and breakthroughs, and what they teach us about the next five.
Written for complete beginners of every age, from curious teenagers to company directors. Because nobody is too thick for this.
Endorsement
"Al takes us on a journey from AI novice to real understanding with humour, down to earth analogies and practical 'try this' activities for children, educators, parents and grandparents alike. From Lovelace to Turing to Hassabis, this book shows that the past is essential to understanding the future and that every person, young and old, deserves this knowledge. It balances curiosity with caution and reminds us that human skills, oversight and judgement matter now more than ever. Be someone AI happens with, not to. None of this is rocket science, so pop the kettle on and start reading. Your future self will thank you!"
Book details
- Author
- Al Kingsley MBE
- ISBN-13
- 979-8166887054
- Publication date
- 7 November 2026