:: Artificial Intelligence

   Recommended Reading

Understanding Artificial Intelligence
by Editors Scientific American (Author)

Book Description
UNDERSTANDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is one of the first four titles that launch an exciting new Pocket Science series, from the editors of America's leading popular science magazine, Scientific American. Comprised of critically acclaimed essays by the world's leading experts on each topic in the series, these collections will become definitive texts on crucial issues of our technological times. The authoritative and prestigious reputation of Scientific American puts these books at the top of any science fan's list.

Called AI by followers and practitioners, the field of Artificial Intelligence is dedicated to the proposition that human brains are nothing more than machines, albeit extremely complicated ones, whose abilities will someday be duplicated-and surpassed-by computers. This collection of essays discusses the wide spectrum of knowledge compiled on the pursuit of this elusive goal. It includes a fascinating overview of the subject by Douglas B. Lenat, the president of Cycorp, Inc., and a forward-thinking essay on "The Rise of Robots" by Hans Marvec, the principal research scientists at the robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, which conservatively estimates that by 2050, robot brains based on computers will start rivaling human intelligence.

Other articles include "Here's Looking at You," which profiles a robot who learns about itself and its environment through trial and error, as well as a profile on Marvin L. Minsky, the mastermind behind Artificial Intelligence. The book-like the entire series-is targeted to intelligent readers who want to expand their understanding of complex scientific subjects and contains essays from top scientists working in the field. Like the magazine, the book encompasses a spectrum of innovation through expert-authored articles that demonstrate the convergence of science, technology, and the world economy, challenging readers with fresh, new ideas and empowering them to make smart, strategic decisions.

The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence
by Ray Kurzweil

Book Description
The national bestseller by the "ultimate thinking machine" (Forbes) whose predictions for the future are startling, provocative--and closer to fruition than you think. Ray Kurzweil is the inventor of the most innovative and compelling technology of our era, an international authority on artificial intelligence, and one of our greatest living visionaries. Now he offers a framework for envisioning the twenty-first century--an age in which the marriage of human sensitivity and artificial intelligence fundamentally alters and improves the way we live. Kurzweil's prophetic blueprint for the future takes us through the advances that inexorably result in computers exceeding the memory capacity and computational ability of the human brain by the year 2020 (with human-level capabilities not far behind); in relationships with automated personalities who will be our teachers, companions, and lovers; and in information fed straight into our brains along direct neural pathways. Optimistic and challenging, thought-provoking and engaging, The Age of Spiritual Machines is the ultimate guide on our road into the next century.