Book suggestions for getting into AI development?

In summary, the conversation discusses the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and the interest in it from different perspectives. The first speaker is a freshman in college who wants to do independent studies on AI and asks for book recommendations. The second speaker shares their experience with AI and gives advice on prerequisites for the field. The third speaker talks about the different types of AI and how they are used in different applications. They also mention the limitations of current AI technology and the need for a better understanding of the human brain.
  • #1
BruceW~
16
2
Hi I'm a freshman in college that is interested in AI, and I wanted to do some independent studies on this subject.
Is there some good books I can read to get into AI development, and could you also suggest books for advance developers?

Thank you
 
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  • #2
I was once thinking along a similar line; I am well able to program in a number of computer languages. including PROLOG.
I decided to do a project that would try to intelligently interact with a human using simple text messages.
I used English language for the messages because it is commonplace and also my native language.
Eventually I gave up, the best result was something that could read a simple story and then reply to questions about the story

>> '? What do you think about the wolf'
<< 'The wolf is bad the wolf'

Maybe you will fare better
 
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  • #3
BruceW~ said:
Hi I'm a freshman in college that is interested in AI, and I wanted to do some independent studies on this subject.
Is there some good books I can read to get into AI development, and could you also suggest books for advance developers?

Thank you
What type of AI?

Gaming AI is a different sort than that used for making a self driving car, or the chess champion.
For a game, one wants the AI to be smart, but not too smart - who wants to be beaten all the time, so one has to compromise on algorithms or the visuals or the number of points awarded for a task, etc for the game to be fun(ish).

Self driving cars, or other machines with apparent intelligence, while not perfect, will have to live up to human expectations, usually less forgiving for machines than for other humans. The AI had better be as perfect as more than humanly possible.

Chess champion - One wants the machine to be unbeatable, and testable against the human mind.

Just putting that out there for contemplation on how wide the field actually is.
 
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  • #4
BruceW~ said:
Hi I'm a freshman in college that is interested in AI, and I wanted to do some independent studies on this subject.
Is there some good books I can read to get into AI development, and could you also suggest books for advance developers?

The first step is understanding what AI is all about and some historical perspective, so I recommend Wikipedia page about AI if you have not already done so.

There is a lot of things that are real prerequisites for this field, that span a very wide and deep spectrum. I'd recommend starting to boost your math and getting acquainted with some algorithmic stuff along with some programming, in order to implement things . Following the path of theoretical CS in your studies and being armed with enough patience will give you a decent entry point to the field and then you will have to specialize in some specific things.
 
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  • #5
rootone said:
I was once thinking along a similar line; I am well able to program in a number of computer languages. including PROLOG.
I decided to do a project that would try to intelligently interact with a human using simple text messages.
I used English language for the messages because it is commonplace and also my native language.
Eventually I gave up, the best result was something that could read a simple story and then reply to questions about the story

>> '? What do you think about the wolf'
<< 'The wolf is bad the wolf'

Maybe you will fare better
Thanks for the suggestion.
 
  • #6
256bits said:
What type of AI?

Gaming AI is a different sort than that used for making a self driving car, or the chess champion.
For a game, one wants the AI to be smart, but not too smart - who wants to be beaten all the time, so one has to compromise on algorithms or the visuals or the number of points awarded for a task, etc for the game to be fun(ish).

Self driving cars, or other machines with apparent intelligence, while not perfect, will have to live up to human expectations, usually less forgiving for machines than for other humans. The AI had better be as perfect as more than humanly possible.

Chess champion - One wants the machine to be unbeatable, and testable against the human mind.

Just putting that out there for contemplation on how wide the field actually is.
I think I'm more interested in the second type of AI where the machine can help human perform daily activities.
 
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  • #7
QuantumQuest said:
The first step is understanding what AI is all about and some historical perspective, so I recommend Wikipedia page about AI if you have not already done so.

There is a lot of things that are real prerequisites for this field, that span a very wide and deep spectrum. I'd recommend starting to boost your math and getting acquainted with some algorithmic stuff along with some programming, in order to implement things . Following the path of theoretical CS in your studies and being armed with enough patience will give you a decent entry point to the field and then you will have to specialize in some specific things.
Will do thank you for the suggestion.
 
  • #8
Since you are interested in machines which help humans perform daily activities, it may be useful to learn what you can about some of the existing robots which do just that. Much of this work is going on in Japan. Honda's ASIMO robot is a good example.

http://asimo.honda.com

Of course we do not have an android like Commander Data from Star Trek NG. What are the capabilities of Commander Data which ASIMO lacks? It may be useful to approach AI from that viewpoint.

I think the main problem in AI is understanding how our own brain works. It's frustrating we still have so much to learn about ourselves. How can we build Commander Data if we can't even build an intelligent dog or cat? To do so demands more knowledge than we have.
 
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1. What are the best books for beginners interested in AI development?

The answer to this question depends on the individual's background and level of knowledge in programming and mathematics. Some popular books for beginners include "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, "Machine Learning: A Probabilistic Perspective" by Kevin Murphy, and "Deep Learning" by Yoshua Bengio, Ian Goodfellow, and Aaron Courville. It is also recommended to supplement these books with online courses and tutorials to gain a practical understanding of AI development.

2. Are there any books that focus specifically on a certain aspect of AI development?

Yes, there are many books that focus on a specific aspect of AI development, such as "Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction" by Richard S. Sutton and Andrew G. Barto, which delves into the algorithms and techniques used for building intelligent agents. Other books like "Natural Language Processing with Python" by Steven Bird, Ewan Klein, and Edward Loper, focus on the application of AI in language processing. It is important to research and identify the specific area of AI development that interests you, and then find books that cater to that particular aspect.

3. Are there any books that provide a hands-on approach to learning AI development?

Yes, there are several books that offer a hands-on approach to learning AI development, such as "Python Machine Learning" by Sebastian Raschka and Vahid Mirjalili, which provides practical examples and exercises for building machine learning models using Python. Other books like "Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn and TensorFlow" by Aurélien Géron, focus on teaching readers how to implement various machine learning algorithms and techniques in real-world projects. These types of books are great for individuals looking to gain practical experience in AI development.

4. Are there any books that discuss the ethical implications of AI development?

Yes, there are several books that delve into the ethical implications of AI development, such as "Weapons of Math Destruction" by Cathy O'Neil, which discusses the impact of algorithms on our society and raises important ethical questions. Other books like "The Singularity Trap: How to Make Sure AI Doesn't Rule the World" by Federico Pistono, explore the potential dangers of AI and the need for ethical guidelines in its development. It is important for individuals in the AI field to be aware of and consider the ethical implications of their work.

5. Are there any books that provide a comprehensive overview of AI development?

Yes, there are many books that provide a comprehensive overview of AI development, such as "The AI Book: The Artificial Intelligence Handbook for Business" by Sue Daley, Roger Taylor, and David Watkins, which covers the history, current state, and future of AI in various industries. Other books like "The Hundred-Page Machine Learning Book" by Andriy Burkov, offer a condensed yet thorough overview of machine learning techniques. It is recommended to read multiple books to gain a well-rounded understanding of AI development.

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