There s so much talk about the threat posed by intelligent machines that it sometimes seems as though we should surrender to our robot overlords. But Junaid Mubeen isn t ready to throw in the towel just yet.

As far as he is concerned, we have the creative edge over machines, because of a remarkable system of thought that humans have developed over the millennia. It s familiar to us all, but often badly taught in schools and misrepresented in popular discourse – maths.

Computers are, of course, brilliant at totting up sums, pattern-seeking and performing mindless tasks of, well, computation. For all things calculation, machines reign supreme. But Junaid identifies seven areas of intelligence where humans can retain a crucial edge. And in exploring these areas, he opens up a fascinating world where we can develop our uniquely human mathematical superpowers.