Human Again: In the AI Age by J D Macpherson

About the Book:

Are you using AI or is AI using you?

In a world where algorithms shape thought and automation floods the creative field, Human Again is a field-tested playbook for staying awake, original, and alive in the age of machines. Part reflection, part practical guide, it invites readers to explore identity and inspiration in real time, learning to think with AI rather than be replaced by it.

Blending cultural insight, personal experience, and practical tools, Macpherson explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping creativity, work, and identity, and how to harness it without losing yourself.

You will learn how to:

• Ask sharper questions that create leverage, not noise
• Build a High Signal Question Engine to think deeper and faster
• Use the Socratic method and mindfulness to train deeper thinking
• Recognize the “qualia,” the unspeakable textures of human experience, that no algorithm can touch
• Protect your authenticity, taste, and voice while others sound the same
• Learn how to compound clarity and creativity

Whether you are a professional, a creator, or simply curious about what is next, Human Again shows how to use AI better than anyone around you while keeping what no algorithm can replicate: your judgment, conscience, and imagination.

Because finding identity and inspiration in the AI age begins with remembering what it means to be human.

My Review:

I have been hesitant to use AI. I am in my retirement years and there has been some troubling news about AI. Reading this book was quite enlightening. I really had no idea of the many ways even I, an older person, could make use of the technology, like improving one's golf game. Macpherson explains what AI can do and what it can't. I like her identifying what is uniquely human, experiences and actions we as humans can do but AI cannot. I really liked the “toolkit” sections where she clearly explains techniques to get the most out of AI with specific steps, how to make it go deeper than surface facts.

She is clear she used AI in writing the book but explains how she made it her own. Much of what she includes in this book is from her own adventures using AI, pushing it to get as much as possible from it. Interestingly enough, doing that requires critical thinking. I still have reservations and at the end of the book she does give examples of how AI can be used to detriment. It can make mistakes and can give misinformation as the ubiquitous disclaimer reminds us. I still feel there is risk of AI going beyond what I ask and invade my personal information. But then, businesses have been accumulating my information for decades. In the end, this book has helped me understand how to make wise use of AI because it is not going away.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

J.D. Macpherson is a Canadian journalist and award-winning author exploring artificial intelligence, identity, creativity, work, and modern life. Her narrative nonfiction book Human Again: In the AI Age won the 2026 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal and a Literary Titan Gold Book Award. Drawing on her background in journalism and communications, Macpherson approaches AI not as an engineer or futurist, but as a curious human testing what these tools can and cannot do. Her essays on artificial intelligence, technology, economics, and creativity have appeared in publications including The Quantastic Journal, The Pub, and Activated Thinker.

Cairstone Press, 266 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the author. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)