Thank you to Haymarket Books for providing this advance reading copy through NetGalley for review consideration. No review was required as a condition of receiving the book, and no review was promised.

Mr. Book just finished Speculative Violence: The Visual Politics of AI-Powered Authoritarianism, by Donatella Della Ratta.

The book examines how artificial intelligence is being used to create fake images and videos that can promote political propaganda, normalize violence and help authoritarian movements advance their agendas. The author generally does a good job of explaining the dangers of this technology and how it can be used to manipulate public perceptions.

One of the strongest parts of the book was its discussion of the military applications of AI, particularly how the technology is being used to identify targets for military attacks. In fact, Mr. Book found this material even more interesting than the book’s primary focus on AI-generated images. There was the potential for an even stronger book, possibly an A, if the author had concentrated more on the military applications and treated the manipulation of images as a secondary subject.

Overall, this was a good book that made some important points about the dangers of AI. However, there were also times when the author seemed to overplay her hand, stretching some arguments too far. Those shortcomings kept an otherwise worthwhile book from receiving a higher grade.

Mr. Book gives this book a B.

Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1–5 star system. In Mr. Book’s personal conversion system, a B equates to 3 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and Mr. Book’s Book Reviews.

Mr. Book finished reading this on October 28, 2026. The book is scheduled for publication on January 12, 2027.