Artificial Intelligence: An Illustrated History: From Medieval Robots to Neural Networks

by Clifford A. Pickover

Overview

An illustrated journey through the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence, from popular science author Cliff Pickover.

“An enjoyable diversion to read cover to cover, follow along common strands, or dip into for random bits.” —Booklist

From medieval robots and Boolean algebra to facial recognition, artificial neural networks, and adversarial patches, this fascinating history takes readers on a vast tour through the world of artificial intelligence. Award-winning author Clifford A. Pickover (The Math Book, The Physics Book, Death & the Afterlife) explores the historic and current applications of AI in such diverse fields as computing, medicine, popular culture, mythology, and philosophy, and considers the enduring threat to humanity should AI grow out of control. Across 100 illustrated entries, Pickover provides an entertaining and informative look into when artificial intelligence began, how it developed, where it’s going, and what it means for the future of human-machine interaction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454933595
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Series:	Union Square & Co. Illustrated Histories
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	438,311
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Clifford A. Pickover has published more than 50 books, translated into a dozen languages, on topics ranging from science and mathematics to religion, art, and history. He received his PhD from Yale University and has been granted more than 400 US patents. Pickover has nearly 32,000 Twitter followers and three million tweet-views a month. His book, The Math Book, won the Neumann Prize, awarded every two years for the best book on the history of mathematics aimed at a broad audience. His other books include The Physics Book and Death & the Afterlife.

Editorial Reviews

This is an addictive stroll through the annals of artificial intelligence, highlighting almost 100 innovations developed between 1300 BCE and 2018. The chronologically arranged, brief (three or four paragraphs), but authoritative entries are complemented by full-page illustrations and range from the mythological (Lancelot's copper knights, The Terminator) to the actual (da Vinci's robot knight, the Roomba) and from gaming (tic-tac-toe, backgammon, the Rubik's Cube, Jeopardy) to more serious pursuits (face and voice recognition, autonomous robotic surgery). Readers will find basic information regarding the who, what, when, where, and how of each subject, plus accounts of public reception and practical applications, if any. Many familiar names appear: Aristotle, Tesla, ENIAC, Hal 9000; other references may be a bit more obscure, like The Steam Man of the Prairies, a sf novel published in 1868. Features include an index, cross-references to related articles within the book, and recommendations for more comprehensive further reading selections. This is an enjoyable diversion to read cover to cover, follow along common strands, or dip into for random bits.” —Booklist
 

From the Publisher