The History Book Club discussion

This thread focuses on discussions about artificial intelligence and books which discuss this topic.

If you had to pick one, this might be "the one":

by Stuart Russell

Publisher's Synopsis:

The long-anticipated revision of this #1 selling book offers the most comprehensive, state of the art introduction to the theory and practice of artificial intelligence for modern applications. Intelligent Agents. Solving Problems by Searching. Informed Search Methods. Game Playing. Agents that Reason Logically. First-order Logic. Building a Knowledge Base. Inference in First-Order Logic. Logical Reasoning Systems. Practical Planning. Planning and Acting. Uncertainty. Probabilistic Reasoning Systems. Making Simple Decisions. Making Complex Decisions. Learning from Observations. Learning with Neural Networks. Reinforcement Learning. Knowledge in Learning. Agents that Communicate. Practical Communication in English. Perception. Robotics. For computer professionals, linguists, and cognitive scientists interested in artificial intelligence

This is a review in Amazon by calvinnme:

I didn't think that the first edition of this book was as bad as some of the reviewers said, but the second edition is definitely a vast improvement. It's not just some obligatory 2nd edition that some authors release to say that they are staying actively published. The first edition was somewhat confusing in its explanations and the exercises were really blurry on what was being asked. All of that has now been resolved.

The book is a comprehensive and insightful introduction to artificial intelligence with an academic tone. It provides a unified view of the field organized around the rational decision making paradigm, which focuses on the selection of the "best" solution to a problem.

The book's overall theme is that the purpose of AI is to solve problems via intelligent agents, and then goes about specifying the features such an agent or agents should have. Pseudocode is provided for all of the major AI algorithms. Being about the broadest book in terms of coverage of AI, you should therefore not expect it to be the deepest in coverage.

However, each topic is covered to the extent that the reader should understand its essence. Sections one through six are absolutely wonderful, and comprise the "meat" of AI. Section seven is rather weak since it tries to cover both robotics and text processing in their own individual chapters, and entire books have a hard time covering this material. Section eight is different from the others, since it talks about the philosophy and future of AI.

Another plus for this book is that there is a great deal of extra material that deals with standard AI curriculum. For example, the chapters on logic not only include the typical introduction to propositional and first order logic together with the usual inference procedures, they also give many useful hints how to use first order logic to actually represent aspects of the real world such as measures, time, actions, mental objects, etc. These chapters also contain much information about how to implement efficient logical reasoners.

Finally, this second edition has an excellent website that can be found by going through the publisher's webpage for the book. This website contains four sample chapters, pseudocode, and actual code in Java, Python, and LISP.
I notice that Amazon shows the table of contents from the first edition, so I am showing what the actual table of contents is for the second edition for the purpose of completeness. Note that the book has been significantly reorganized.

I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
1. Introduction.
2. Intelligent Agents.

II. PROBLEM-SOLVING.
3. Solving Problems by Searching.
4. Informed Search and Exploration.
5. Constraint Satisfaction Problems.
6. Adversarial Search.

III. KNOWLEDGE AND REASONING.
7. Logical Agents.
8. First-Order Logic.
9. Inference in First-Order Logic.
10. Knowledge Representation.

IV. PLANNING.
11. Planning.
12. Planning and Acting in the Real World.

V. UNCERTAIN KNOWLEDGE AND REASONING.
13. Uncertainty.
14. Probabilistic Reasoning Systems.
15. Probabilistic Reasoning Over Time.
16. Making Simple Decisions.
17. Making Complex Decisions.

VI. LEARNING.
18. Learning from Observations.
19. Knowledge in Learning.
20. Statistical Learning Methods.
21. Reinforcement Learning.

VII. COMMUNICATING, PERCEIVING, AND ACTING.
22. Agents that Communicate.
23. Text Processing in the Large.
24. Perception.
25. Robotics.

VIII. CONCLUSIONS.
26. Philosophical Foundations.
27. AI: Present and Future.

A quotation:

"Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time" Terry Pratchett

Thank you Kathy

Kathy, I am going to consolidate all of my praise in this post - what a terrific job you are doing with the Health-Medicine-Science threads - wonderful and such interesting adds. Terrific job keeping up these threads.

Interesting

When Computers Can Think: The Artificial Intelligence Singularity

by Anthony Berglas (no photo)

Synopsis:

Could computers ever really think? They can now drive cars on suburban streets, control spaceships and have even won the Jeopardy! game show. But could they ever be self aware, create original ideas, develop their own goals, and write complex computer programs?.

Why can't computers already think? Why has 60 years of research failed to produce a single intelligent robot? What has been learnt, what are the technically difficult problems, and when are they likely to be solved?

What would computers think about? What would be their challenges, goals and aspirations? They certainly would not need children. Would they need us?

This book addresses the unseen elephant in the room. Computers are becoming ever more intelligent. The future will not be anything like it used to be.

The book differs from other recent works by providing a strong focus on what caused people to ultimately be the way we are, namely upon natural selection. It then attempts to predict how natural selection would condition an intelligent machine's behaviour by considering the very different world that it would experience.

Several technical and rhetorical arguments are presented both for and against the hypothesis that computers will, eventually, be able to think. There is also some discussion about what it actually means to be intelligent and the limitations of terms such as “creative” and “self aware”.

The second and largest part of the book then describes existing AI technologies in some detail. These include symbolic and logic based approaches, Bayesian expert systems, vision, speech, robotics, and an overview of computational neuroscience. This provides a more realistic basis for predictions of the future as well as simply gaining a better understanding of what intelligence actually is. It helps ground abstract philosophical discussions in terms of real, practical technologies. The text is moderately technical while being aimed at the general reader.

The book also posits that intelligent machines will be developed as succession of ever more intelligent software tools that are released and used in the real world. The book then analyzes the medium term effects of those semi-intelligent tools upon society. This includes some surprising results from an historical review of existing technologies.

There is a growing awareness of these issues, with concerns recently raised by physicist Stephen Hawking, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and billionaire Elon Musk.

Thank you everyone for the adds

Our Accelerating Future: How Superintelligence, Nanotechnology, and Transhumanism Will Transform the Planet

by Michael M. Anissimov (no photo)

Synopsis:

In this collection of short articles, Singularity Summit co-founder and former Singularity Institute futurist Michael Anissimov describes the most important ideas in futurism and transhumanism: the Singularity, Artificial Intelligence, nanotechnology, and cybernetic enhancement. Within the next century, our world will be turned upside-down by the creation of smarter-than-human intelligence in a technological medium. This concise and clear book serves to introduce the concept to new audiences who are interested in the Singularity and want to know more about this important event which will impact every life on the planet.

What to Think About Machines That Think: Today's Leading Thinkers on the Age of Machine Intelligence

by John Brockman

Synopsis:

As the world becomes ever more dominated by technology, John Brockman’s latest addition to the acclaimed and bestselling “Edge Question Series” asks more than 175 leading scientists, philosophers, and artists: What do you think about machines that think?

The development of artificial intelligence has been a source of fascination and anxiety ever since Alan Turing formalized the concept in 1950. Today, Stephen Hawking believes that AI “could spell the end of the human race.” At the very least, its development raises complicated moral issues with powerful real-world implications—for us and for our machines.

In this volume, recording artist Brian Eno proposes that we’re already part of an AI: global civilization, or what TED curator Chris Anderson elsewhere calls the hive mind. And author Pamela McCorduck considers what drives us to pursue AI in the first place.

On the existential threat posed by superintelligent machines, Steven Pinker questions the likelihood of a robot uprising. Douglas Coupland traces discomfort with human-programmed AI to deeper fears about what constitutes “humanness.” Martin Rees predicts the end of organic thinking, while Daniel C. Dennett explains why he believes the Singularity might be an urban legend.

Provocative, enriching, and accessible, What to Think About Machines That Think may just be a practical guide to the not-so-distant future.

An upcoming book:
Release date: March 7, 2016

In Our Own Image: Savior or Destroyer? The History and Future of Artificial Intelligence

by George Zarkadakis (no photo)

Synopsis:

Zarkadakis explores one of humankind's oldest love-hate relationships―our ties with artificial intelligence, or AI. He traces AI's origins in ancient myth, through literary classics like Frankenstein, to today's sci-fi blockbusters, arguing that a fascination with AI is hardwired into the human psyche. He explains AI's history, technology, and potential; its manifestations in intelligent machines; its connections to neurology and consciousness, as well as―perhaps most tellingly―what AI reveals about us as human beings.

In Our Own Image argues that we are on the brink of a fourth industrial revolution―poised to enter the age of Artificial Intelligence as science fiction becomes science fact. Ultimately, Zarkadakis observes, the fate of AI has profound implications for the future of science and humanity itself.

Thank you Jerome

AI & The Fermi Paradox: Human Immortality or Civilization's Inevitable Destruction?

by Jon Bowman (no photo)

Synopsis:

Explore the most fascinating topics of the entire 21st century in depths with "AI & The Fermi Paradox." Learn about the Singularity, Great Filter, Fermi paradox, Drake equation, Kardashev scale, Moore’s Law, Dyson spheres, Blue Brain Project, mind uploading, interstellar rockets, global warming, artificial intelligence and much, much more!

But don't take my word for it! Includes predictions, quotes and resources from respected scientists and futurists such as Stephen Hawking, Vernor Vinge, Ray Kurzweil, Eliezer Yudkowsky, John von Neumann, Michio Kaku, and more! Plus, references and additional reading sources are listed.

You will also learn about the surprising connection between AI and the Fermi paradox, along with the possible consequences for humanity, both good and bad. AI could be the ticket to leaving the Solar System, or the ticket to our extinction. It could be our greatest accomplishment, or our downfall. There is no in-between. Expect nothing less than shocking conclusions, bizarre ideas, and a strong sense of exhilaration (along with some concern!) for the fast approaching revolution. The question is… Are we prepared, or in way over our heads?

The Future of Artificial Intelligence


Science Photo Library RM/Getty Images

Scared of superintelligent AI? You should be, says neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris -- and not just in some theoretical way. We're going to build superhuman machines, says Harris, but we haven't yet grappled with the problems associated with creating something that may treat us the way we treat ants. (14:27)

Link: https://youtu.be/8nt3edWLgIg

Other:
Elon Musk and Bill Gates on the Dangers of Artificial Intelligence (4:20)
https://youtu.be/qetcWN8iWT0

Why You Shouldn’t Fear Artificial Intelligence (4:03)
https://youtu.be/uEWGjQ0nTm4

Nick Bostrom: "Superintelligence" | Talks at Google (1:12:55)
https://youtu.be/pywF6ZzsghI

More:
Will Algorithms Erode our Decision Making Skills?
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/02/08...

The Real Risks of Artificial Intelligence
http://www.bbc.com/future/story...

Tech Giants Team Up to Tackle the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/09/28...

Books about the future of Artificial Intelligence

by Daniel Berleant (no photo)

by Pedro Domingos (no photo)

by Nick Bostrom

Discussion topics:

a) There will come a time when we will be able to use artificial intelligence to improve our world. With this in mind, what are some specific things that you would like to see happen?

b) How can we be sure artificial intelligence won't become dangerous to our existance, and what are some ways we can prevent this from occurring?

The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine will Remake the World

by author:Pedro Domingos|3242685]

Synopsis:

Domingos’s book, released last year by Basic Books, is an introduction to machine learning—”the scientific method on steroids”—and how it relates to everyday life.

What we’re really searching for with all this AI tech, argues Domingos, is an ultimate “master” algorithm. He writes: “If it exists, the Master Algorithm can derive all knowledge in the world—past, present, and future—from data. Inventing it would be one of the greatest advances in the history of science.”

Video:

Pedro Domingos: "The Master Algorithm" | Talks at Google
Link: https://youtu.be/B8J4uefCQMc

About:



Machine learning is the automation of discovery, and it is responsible for making our smartphones work, helping Netflix suggest movies for us to watch, and getting presidents elected. But there is a push to use machine learning to do even more—to cure cancer and AIDS and possibly solve every problem humanity has. Domingos is at the very forefront of the search for the Master Algorithm, a universal learner capable of deriving all knowledge—past, present and future—from data. In this book, he lifts the veil on the usually secretive machine learning industry and details the quest for the Master Algorithm, along with the revolutionary implications such a discovery will have on our society.

Pedro Domingos is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, and he is the cofounder of the International Machine Learning Society.

Discussion Topic:

1. Where does knowledge come from?