If anyone is qualified to write a trivia book, it isKen Jennings.The formerJeopardy!champion is fighting misinformation and promoting curiosity in a surprising new project. With AI taking over “people’s need to be curious,” host and former winner of populargame show,Jeopardy!,Ken Jennings hopes to keep people interested in learning with his new book,The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles. Don’t worry, though, even with this new career, Jennings is not leavingJeopardy!any time soon.
Jennings, who holds the longest win streak inJeopardy!history, loves trivia.With 74 games in a row,Jennings won over two million dollars, according to theJeopardy!website, and solidified his spot as a legend. It was only natural that he would step in to host afterAlex Trebekpassed away. His time onJeopardy!proves that Jennings’s first love has always been trivia, and he has put that passion into a new book of puzzles.
‘Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings Has History With AI
In an interview with theLos Angeles Times,Jennings discussed his new book,The Complete Kennections,and explained why he wrote it. Jenning touched on a very hot-button topic: Artificial Intelligence. With a growing reliance on AI and shortcuts that are shortchanging students,Jennings worries thatmisinformationwill only grow. He believes that everyone should be pushing back against AI. Jennings hopes that his new trivia and puzzle book will promote critical thinking.
Jennings’ worries about AI are not new. Even though he is considered one of, if not the, bestJeopardy!contestants of all time,Jennings still lost to a supercomputer. During that experiment, several significant flaws became apparent. WhileAI can produce trivia answers, it is not thinking, just memorizing. There are no thoughts behind what AI, or the supercomputer IBM Waterson, was saying. Although Jennings’ new book has these trivia questions,The Complete Kennectionsalso includes hundreds of puzzles that require thought and creative thinking.
No One Loves Trivia More Than Ken Jennings
Hot on the heels of theJeopardy!Season 41 finale, Jennings' new book,The Complete Kennections,dropped July 29. In the sameLos Angeles Timesinterview, Jennings explained that he loves trivia. If that was not clear from his outstandingJeopardy!record, Jennings has declared his appreciation for trivia on more than one occasion.
In a transcript fromThe New York Timespodcast,The Opinions,Jennings claimed that trivia brings people together. Anyone who has been to a bar trivia night knows that he is right about that. However,Jennings thinks it goes beyond bar trivia and know-it-alls; he believes it isa “universal social good” that helps people bond and connect with one another. Although Jennings claims he did not come up with the title of his book,Kennectionsis incredibly appropriate for how Jennings feels about trivia. Ultimately, the goal ofThe Complete Kennectionsis tomake learning fun and accessible for everyone, with the hope of bringing people together.
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Ken Jennings Is Not Going Anywhere
Although writing a fun and educational book was something Jennings always wanted to do, as he notes in theLos Angeles Timesinterview, he assures fans thathe still intends to hostJeopardy!for as long as they will have him. Recently,Jennings has been expanding his careerand putting himself out there more often. Along with this new book, Jennings has a cameo inHappy Gilmore 2and just teamed up withMatt Damonto winWho Wants To Be A Millionaire.Even with all these new projects, Jennings toldTV Insiderthatbeing the host ofJeopardy!is not “a job you retire from.“So,Jeopardy!fans, have no fear; Jennings is here to stay.
As a trivia whiz and formerJeopardy!champion, Jennings, is seeing some disturbing trends with AI and the decrease in trivia buffs. Jennings' long-time concern about AI is not new, buthe is attempting to counterbalance some of the damage done to curiosity by AIwithThe Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles. Jennings' new book seeks to “kennect” people together through trivia while promoting critical thinking.
Check local listings for times. Season 42 ofJeopardy!will premiere September 8. For the first time ever,Jeopardy!will be available to stream the next day on Hulu and Peacock.
