PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Who Are We Now? is an exploration by leading AI researcher Blaise Agüera y Arcas of how biology, ecology, sexuality, history, and culture have intertwined to create a dynamic “us” that can neither be called natural nor artificial.

At the heart of the book is a set of surveys conducted between 2016 and 2021, asking thousands of anonymous respondents all over the United States questions about their behavior and identity, and especially about gender and sexuality. The resulting window into people’s lives is a bit like that of the Kinsey Reports, which scandalized postwar America more than 70 years ago. Today, the landscape is—in every sense—even queerer. Twentieth century heterosexual “normalcy” is on the wane, particularly among young and urban people.

To process the data and assemble the resulting writing, plots, charts, graphs, and maps, Blaise and Practise designer James Goggin convened a dream team of co-designers Marie Otsuka and Minkyoung Kim, editorial coordinator Johan Michalove, with images and permissions handled by David Michalove, and a crucial suite of maps by cartography maestro Scott Reinhard.

The print edition is produced with a lightweight casebound cover silkscreened on linen-embossed stock, while the interior includes map overlays on translucent vellum. Beyond the scope of 50 Books (for now?) is a web edition at https://whoarewenow.net/, which makes the entire book responsively accessible in full for everyone, with animated plots and charts functioning as both companion to the print edition, and an engagingly designed and readable free version in its own right.

BOOK INFORMATION

Trim Size: 6.75 × 9.5 in.

Number of Pages: 496

Binding Method: Casebound cold glue smyth-sewn

Paper: Winter & Company Wibalin Finelinen Terracotta/Cherry/Sapphire Blue 115gsm, Igepa Maxioffset 120gsm, Fedrigoni Golden Star K 110gsm

Typefaces: Chroma ST (Selina Bernet, Source Type, 2023), CMU Serif (Donald Knuth, 1984, converted from Metafont by Andrey V. Panov), Graphik and Graphik Compact (Christian Schwartz, Hrvoje Živčić, Ilya Ruderman, Commercial Type, 2009/2017), Produkt (Christian Schwartz, Berton Hasebe, Ilya Ruderman, Commercial Type, 2014), Produkt Condensed (Kara Gordon, Berton Hasebe, Christian Schwartz, Commercial Type, 2022)

CREDIT INFORMATION

Creative Director: James Goggin

Art Director:

Book Designer: James Goggin, Minkyoung Kim, Marie Otsuka

Jacket/Cover Designer: James Goggin

Illustrator:

Photographer:

Picture Editor: Blaise Agüera y Arcas, James Goggin, Johan Michalove

Production Director:

Production Coordinator:

Production Artist:

Other Credits: Johan Michalove – Editorial Coordinator; David Michalove – Images and Permissions; Scott Reinhard – Cartography; Sybil Perez – Copyeditor

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