‘The major disruptions in our modern society all belong to one big story. A common theme connects war machines, computer networks, social media, ubiquitous surveillance and virtual reality. For 50 years or more the same people and the same ideas weave through these innovations united by the term cyber, as in cyberspace and cybernetics. Read this amazing history and you'll go: aha!’

‘Rise of The Machines isn’t just an insightful history of Cybernetics, but also a fascinating journey with the 20th century thinkers — from tech giants and eccentric mathematicians to science fiction writers and counterculture gurus — who have shaped how we understand machines and ourselves.’