Everything is About to Change
Introducing the 2025-26 Common Book: The Coming Wave!
This year, we’re excited to introduce The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman as our Common Book. It’s a bold, urgent look at the future of technology—and the ethical, political, and human challenges (and opportunities) it brings.
Suleyman, an artificial intelligence entrepreneur and co-founder of DeepMind, opens a window into how rapidly emerging technologies—like AI and synthetic biology—are reshaping the world around us, faster than we are prepared to handle.
The Coming Wave challenges us to ask big questions: Who controls these technologies? How do we regulate innovation without stifling it? And most importantly—what role do we play as individuals, a university, and as a community?
This book isn’t just about science or tech—it’s opening a dialogue about the future of humanity. That’s why it speaks to all disciplines, and to every student at VCU.
No matter your major, your background, or your perspective on AI—this book offers something that relates to you. We invite you to read, reflect, and engage with us as we take on The Coming Wave together.