The Shortest History of AI: The Six Essential Ideas That Animate It

Since Alan Turing first posed the question "Can machines think?" artificial intelligence has evolved from a speculative idea to a transformative force. The Shortest History of AI traces this evolution, from Ada Lovelace's visionary work to IBM's groundbreaking defeat of the chess world champion and the revolutionary emergence of ChatGPT. It also explores AI's cultural journey, touching on classics such as Frankenstein, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Revealing how many "overnight" successes were decades in the making, this accessible and illuminating book helps us to understand how AI functions by explaining the six key ideas that animate it: it searches for answers using predetermined symbols and means-end analysis; it bases its answers on what sort of response it thinks it will get; it follows a set of rules in order to simulate human expertise; it copies the human brain by learning from experience; it uses reinforcement learning, rewarding its own successes and punishing itself for its failures; and it uses Bayes' theorem to calculate the probability of a cause based on its effect.

Fast-paced and rich with facts, The Shortest History of AI equips listeners to understand where we've been-and where we're headed.

1146830552
The Shortest History of AI: The Six Essential Ideas That Animate It

Since Alan Turing first posed the question "Can machines think?" artificial intelligence has evolved from a speculative idea to a transformative force. The Shortest History of AI traces this evolution, from Ada Lovelace's visionary work to IBM's groundbreaking defeat of the chess world champion and the revolutionary emergence of ChatGPT. It also explores AI's cultural journey, touching on classics such as Frankenstein, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Revealing how many "overnight" successes were decades in the making, this accessible and illuminating book helps us to understand how AI functions by explaining the six key ideas that animate it: it searches for answers using predetermined symbols and means-end analysis; it bases its answers on what sort of response it thinks it will get; it follows a set of rules in order to simulate human expertise; it copies the human brain by learning from experience; it uses reinforcement learning, rewarding its own successes and punishing itself for its failures; and it uses Bayes' theorem to calculate the probability of a cause based on its effect.

Fast-paced and rich with facts, The Shortest History of AI equips listeners to understand where we've been-and where we're headed.

19.99 In Stock
The Shortest History of AI: The Six Essential Ideas That Animate It

The Shortest History of AI: The Six Essential Ideas That Animate It

by Toby Walsh

Narrated by Michael Langan

Unabridged — 5 hours, 13 minutes

The Shortest History of AI: The Six Essential Ideas That Animate It

The Shortest History of AI: The Six Essential Ideas That Animate It

by Toby Walsh

Narrated by Michael Langan

Unabridged — 5 hours, 13 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$19.99
FREE With a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
$0.00

Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime

START FREE TRIAL

Already Subscribed? 

Sign in to Your BN.com Account


Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Related collections and offers

FREE

with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription

Or Pay $19.99

Overview

Since Alan Turing first posed the question "Can machines think?" artificial intelligence has evolved from a speculative idea to a transformative force. The Shortest History of AI traces this evolution, from Ada Lovelace's visionary work to IBM's groundbreaking defeat of the chess world champion and the revolutionary emergence of ChatGPT. It also explores AI's cultural journey, touching on classics such as Frankenstein, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Revealing how many "overnight" successes were decades in the making, this accessible and illuminating book helps us to understand how AI functions by explaining the six key ideas that animate it: it searches for answers using predetermined symbols and means-end analysis; it bases its answers on what sort of response it thinks it will get; it follows a set of rules in order to simulate human expertise; it copies the human brain by learning from experience; it uses reinforcement learning, rewarding its own successes and punishing itself for its failures; and it uses Bayes' theorem to calculate the probability of a cause based on its effect.

Fast-paced and rich with facts, The Shortest History of AI equips listeners to understand where we've been-and where we're headed.


Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"This enjoyable, wide-ranging, and compact survey explains where we began and where we now find ourselves. An entertaining and concise tour."— Kirkus

"This history of AI in six simple ideas is so informative and easy to digest. Essential reading!"— Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki

"One of the world’s brightest minds takes on one of the world’s biggest topics. . . . Delicious!"— Adam Spencer

Product Details

BN ID: 2940195393670
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication date: 11/04/2025
Edition description: Unabridged
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews