Introducing Artificial Intelligence

This was the first real book I read on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, and I must say...the best. This books topics are not outdated at all, it completely applys to current studies. This is an amazing book for a good introduction into the topic, and mainly covers the philosophical side of creating intelligent and conscious artificial beings; explaining all sides of the issue in a incredibly information pakced and detailed cartoon format. A very good book, after reading it twice I finally understood the underlying principles of AI. If your interested in Ai I'd also recommend the other Introducing book on Consciousness, which gives a detailed description into the materialist, dualist, and mysterian views on consciousness and the formation of a theory of conscioussness, whos philosopical ideas is realted to AI.

This is a very light weight read on the subject that discusses the history of the slow and not certain advancement of the concept of what Artificial Intelligence is or will be. As a person that is new to the subject I enjoyed the format -- lots of illustrations. I was amazed to learn how inter-disciplinary the topic is. The book draws from the perspectives of psychology, mathematics, computer science, biology, and philosophy. Before starting the book, I was personally hoping to get an introduction to computer science tools (neural networks, Bayesian network etc.) that make up modern AI. However, I believe I am better off for starting with a book that helped me better understand that there is more to AI than computer science.

Coming from a Computer Science background, but only having been exposed to AI via science fiction, the most interesting thing I learned while reading Introducing Artificial Intelligence was the distinction between the two major schools of thought in AI research: "strong AI," or those who believe machines can be made to think like humans or better, and "weak AI," those who seek further knowledge about natural intelligence through the use of artificial simulations of intelligence, but don't seek to create sentient thought in machines. Based solely on the descriptions of artificial intelligence that I've encountered in popular culture, it's never explicitly stated but always tacitly assumed that with sufficiently advanced technology, machines can be made to think. As this book discusses, this is not a universally acknowledged truth, but rather there is much disagreement among AI scientists as to whether this feat is even possible. Some interesting history of AI research is covered, including the idea of Turing machines, and the robot "Shakey" who could perform simple tasks in a simplified environment, but ultimately failed to adapt when his surroundings became unfamiliar. Toward the end of the book, more recent developments are touched on, such as robot designs based on insects and robots who can negotiate more complex "real world" environments. Overall a quick and interesting read like I've found most of the "Introducing..." books to be.

Last night I was raving about a book I had just read, Introducing Artificial Intelligence by Henry Brighton, 2004. This book is illustrated with cartoons on each page depicting caricatures of the scientists and philosophers in the field. It covers the entire history of the field from "classic" A.I. to the "New A.I." including the terminology, debates, and the connection to philosophy of mind. It reminded me just how much this topic interests me.

This book would be an excellent choice for anyone who has no background in artificial intelligence (AI) and wants to understand what the subject is all about. In particular, the book would be ideal for a high school senior who is college bound and is considering computer science as a possible major. But anyone who has an interest in artificial intelligence can gain much from a perusal of this book. Research and applications of artificial intelligence are skyrocketing, and there are many areas in the subject that were unheard of ten years ago. The book discusses some of these new developments, and also the philosophical argumentation that usually accompanies discussion of AI. If the book makes a young person decide to go into the field of artificial intelligence, it has done its job, and this person will join an army of individuals who are deeply passionate about their profession and are very optimistic about its future.