Machines Who Think: A Personal Inquiry into the History and Prospects of Artificial Intelligence / Edition 2

by Pamela McCorduck

Overview

This book is a history of artificial intelligence, that audacious effort to duplicate in an artifact what we consider to be our most important property—our intelligence. It is an invitation for anybody with an interest in the future of the human race to participate in the inquiry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781568812052
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/17/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	598
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

McCorduck , Pamela

Table of Contents

Foreword — Preface — Time Line: The Mechanization of Thinking — Part I Beginnings — Part II The Turning Point — Part III Resistance — Part IV Realizations — Part V The Tensions of Choice — Part V Afterword — Timeline: The Evolution of Intelligence — Bibliography — Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

" my money, Machines Who Think continues to be the most reliable source on the first couple of decades." -Herbert A. Simon, March 2004

"If you are interested in how the pioneers of AI approached the problem of getting a machine to think like a human—a story told here with verve, wit, intelligence and perception—there is no better place to go than this book." -John Casti, NATURE, April 2004

"The enormous, if stealthy, influence of AI bears out many of the wonders foretold 25 years ago in Machines Who Think, Pamela McCorduck's groundbreaking survey of the history and prospects of the field…. [T]aken together, the original and the afterword form a rich and fascinating history." -Scientific American, May 2004"

Editorial Reviews

"my money, Machines Who Think continues to be the most reliable source on the first couple of decades." -Herbert A. Simon, March 2004
/ "If you are interested in how the pioneers of AI approached the problem of getting a machine to think like a human—a story told here with verve, wit, intelligence and perception—there is no better place to go than this book." -John Casti, NATURE, April 2004
/ "The enormous, if stealthy, influence of AI bears out many of the wonders foretold 25 years ago in Machines Who Think, Pamela McCorduck's groundbreaking survey of the history and prospects of the field…. [T]aken together, the original and the afterword form a rich and fascinating history." -Scientific American, May 2004

From the Publisher

The Barnes & Noble Review
Twenty-five years ago, Pamela McCorduck’s passionate, impressionistic introduction to artificial intelligence helped accelerate the AI revolution. Her book still fascinates. Recently, AI Magazine wrote, “it is a tribute to her powers of observation and her conversational style” that no AI book for a general audience has ever proven more successful.

Now, Machines Who Think is back. McCorduck’s appended a new, 100-page afterword covering what’s happened since 1980. Her timing’s perfect. AI’s had its fits and starts, but -- from Tim Berners-Lee’s Semantic Web to Neiman Marcus’s Christmas catalog -- it’s rolling forward again.

Even without the last 25 years, this is an amazing story with roots that go back to ancient Greece. It’s full of unforgettable personalities (think Marvin Minsky). And we agree with AI: McCorduck has told it brilliantly. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

bn.com

"Taken together, the original and the afterword form a rich and fascinating history. Along the way, McCorduck introduces us to some interesting characters, not the least of whom are the naysayers."
-- Scientific American

"If you are interested in how the pioneers of AI approached the problem of getting a machine to think like a human--a story told here with verve, wit, intelligence, and perception--there is no better place to go than this book."
-- Nature