AIQ: How Artificial Intelligence Works and How We Can Harness Its Power for a Better World

Two leading data scientists offer an up-close and user-friendly look at artificial intelligence: what it is, how it works, where it came from, and how to harness its power for a better world.

A revolution of intelligent machines, from self-driving cars to smart digital assistants, is now remaking our world, just as the Industrial Revolution remade the world of the 19th century. AI is used to diagnose and treat cancer, detect fraud, save energy, and make new discoveries. AI is not some science-fiction droid from the future. It's right here, right now, and it’s changing our lives at lightning-fast speed. Many of these changes offer great promise, including freedom from drudgery, safer workplaces, better health care, and fewer language barriers. But others elicit worry—whether about jobs, data privacy, or the prospect of machines making biased decisions with no accountability.

In AIQ, authors Nick Polson and James Scott, both experts in the field, show us how to make sense of these accelerating trends. This book is based on a simple premise: if you want to understand the modern world, you must learn about how these intelligent machines really work. AIQ will teach you how to speak the mathematical language of AI—but in an approachable manner, one anchored in storytelling rather than equations. Along the way, you will meet a fascinating cast of historical characters who have a lot to say about data, probability, and better thinking—and whose tried-and-true ideas are powering the AI revolution, as they play out in the modern age of big data. Finally, AIQ explains how these technologies can help you to overcome some of your own built-in cognitive weaknesses, giving you a chance to lead a life of greater happiness, efficiency, and fulfillment.