The Essence of Artificial Intelligence: The Essence of Artificial Intelligence

This book a a great starting point for studying Artificial Intelligence. For those with a Computer Science background, the book is a quick read that will show how theories such as data structures and search algorithms apply to the different areas of AI. For those without a background in computers, the book will take longer to read and for deeper understanding of some subjects other texts may need to be consulted. However, it is still one of the easiest-to-understand books on AI as most are extemely lengthy and detailed beyond the scope of what most beginners are able to understand. The book is well written and explains complicated topics in plain English. Figures are used effectively to explain certain concepts. An extremely helpful feature is that every chapter is summarized and further references on that topic are given with a short description of the strength and weaknesses of each reference. I would definitely recommend this book to those who want to learn about AI. Its a great starting point that can lead you in the right direction if you want to study a particular topic in further detail.

This is a wonderfully compact introduction to the basic concepts of Artifical Intelligence. You probably aren't going to be able to go and write your own AI after reading this but at least you'll have enough background to read a more detailed text and some of the scientific literature out there. If you've picked up other AI books and felt lost then start here, you won't regret it.

This is a very readable introductory text. Its coverage of topics is surprisingly good for such a slender volume. I especially liked the chapter on searching--the examples are very clear.

This book is a fine introductory text on AI. It covers all major subjects in the field and it is very clear and elaborates on the problems in a very direct and simple manner. A very fine book as an introductory text.

This book is a fine introductory text on AI. It covers all major subjects in the field and it is very clear and elaborates on the problems in a very direct and simple manner. If you are looking for an introductory text, then you found it by now.