The book was written 35 years back. In a book on science and technology, a lot has changed since. Penrose tries to explain classical physics and quantum mechanics to non-scientists. Although his attempt has been sincere, in some places, you realize some things can only be explained with a thorough mathematical treatment. He tries to justify that human brain function cannot be entirely computationally feasible by the computations we know today with the Turing machine. Some things like consciousness go into the territory of quantum computing and explanations of correct quantum gravity (CQG). Today, significant parts of AI have been achieved with massively parallel computing with classical computers. Computation has reached unimaginable scales that were conceivable 35 years back.
The book is still relevant, although many significant modern discoveries and inventions at this point have tried to change the course of AI. Until we find a foolproof solution for artificial general intelligence (AGI), we will keep questioning like Penrose.
A good yet difficult read and needs an overview of physics, computing, and quantum mechanics to be able to appreciate the depth of the book.
