Author: Michael Kanaan
Publisher: BenBella Books
Publication Date: August 2020
Product Link
Prerequisites: None
There are typically two types of AI books. Most of those look at AI from the lens of a specific technology, which I will call from the inside out. These are your TensorFlow, machine learning, do this project books. Then there are AI books that look at the field from the outside, giving us both a broad and deep perspective of the field. I have felt for some time that the later books are far more useful for the health of the field than the former. This book is one of the latter. It is also a book that should be on the shelf of anyone who is serious about artificial intelligence.
When I look at this book as a whole, I see it like an hourglass. It begins with a VERY broad look at how we got to this point in the field. From that narrow point, it then expands back out to think about the future. It is well written, relevant, and useful to anyone who goes below the surface. You won’t find any math, code, or technological debates. Instead, you will find nuanced text that gives you a well-rounded perspective of the field.
Why do I think this book is so important? There is so much hype, both positive and negative, about the field that this book can remove. It adds to the conversation of what AI is and is not, as well as what it can and cannot do, which the vast majority of AI ‘experts’ ignore.
I hope you choose to pick up this book and read it. It is extremely important and well worth it.
