Machines Who Think
A Personal Inquiry into the History and Prospects of Artificial Intelligence

by Pamela McCorduck
Price: $39.00
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Summary

Pamela McCorduck first went among the artificial intelligentsia when the field was fresh and new, and asked the scientists engaged in it what they were doing and why. She saw artificial intelligence as the scientific apotheosis of one of the most enduring, glorious, often amusing, and sometimes alarming, traditions of human culture: the endless fascination with artifacts that think. Machines Who Think was translated into many languages, became an international cult classic, and stayed in print for nearly twenty years. Now, Machines Who Think is back, along with an extended addition that brings the field up to date in the last quarter century, including its scientific and its public faces. McCorduck shows how, from a slightly dubious fringe science, artificial intelligence has moved slowly (though not always steadily) to a central place in our everyday lives, and how it will be even more crucial as the World Wide Web moves into its next generation.

Details

ISBN: 978-1-56881-205-2
Year: 2004
Format: Paperback
Pages: 576
Web Site:
http://www.pamelamc.com

Reviews

Scientific American: AI at the Inception (External Link)

May 2004

“The enormous, if stealthy, influence of AI bears out many of the wonders foretold 25 years ago in Machines Who Think, Pamela McCorduck’s groundbreaking survey of the history and prospects of the field…. [T]aken together, the original and the afterword form a rich and fascinating history.”

NATURE (PDF)

April 2004

“If you are interested in how the pioneers of AI approached the problem of getting a machine to think like a human–a story told here with verve, wit, intelligence and perception–there is no better place to go than this book.”

March 2004

“For my money, Machines Who Think continues to be the most reliable source on the first couple of decades.” – Herbert A. Simon
—Herbert A. Simon