Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans

Melanie Mitchell, a leading computer scientist, examines artificial intelligence's history, recent developments, and current state. The book addresses key questions about AI capabilities: How intelligent are today's best AI programs? How do they work? What can they do, and where do they fail? How humanlike might they become, and when should we be concerned about them surpassing human intelligence? Mitchell introduces dominant models of modern AI and machine learning, describes cutting-edge programs and their creators, and traces the historical ideas behind recent advances. She interviews experts including Douglas Hofstadter, cognitive scientist and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach, who discusses his concerns about AI's future. The book explores the gap between AI hype and actual accomplishments, clarifying what the field has achieved and what remains ahead. Through accounts of AI science and the people developing it, the book provides accessible explanations of current work in the field, alongside Mitchell's observations and humor. It serves as a guide to understanding today's AI, its pursuit of human-level intelligence, and its implications for the future.