The Age of Em

The Age of Em presents Robin Hanson's detailed analysis of a potential future era in which human minds can be scanned, copied, and run on computers as digital emulations. Hanson constructs an internally consistent world-building exercise, exploring how ems would work, live, reproduce, and organize economically and socially. The book draws on economics, physics, biology, and computer science to reason through implications of mind uploading technology.

Hanson argues that an em-dominated era would likely emerge sometime after artificial general intelligence becomes feasible, and would represent a radical departure from human civilization. He examines labor markets, family structures, warfare, religion, and governance in an em society, treating the scenario with analytical rigor rather than speculation. The work has become influential in transhumanist and AI safety circles, shaping discussions about digital minds, personal identity, and long-term technological futures.

Published in 2016, the book synthesizes decades of Hanson's research on futurism and decision theory. It serves as both a thought experiment and a serious attempt to reason about post-human civilization, making it a key reference point in contemporary futures studies and philosophy of mind.