How Smart Machines Think

The future is here: Self-driving cars are on the streets, an algorithm gives you movie and TV recommendations, IBM's Watson triumphed on Jeopardy over puny human brains, computer programs can be trained to play Atari games. But how do all these things work? In this book, Sean Gerrish offers an engaging and accessible overview of the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning that have made today's machines so smart. Gerrish outlines some of the key ideas that enable intelligent machines to perceive and interact with the world. He describes the software architecture that allows self-driving cars to stay on the road and to navigate crowded urban environments; the million-dollar Netflix competition for a better recommendation engine; and how programmers trained computers to perform certain behaviors by offering them treats, as if they were training a dog. He explains how artificial neural networks enable computers to perceive the world--and to play Atari video games better than humans. Gerrish weaves the stories behind these breakthroughs into the narrative, introducing listeners to many of the researchers involved, and keeping technical details to a minimum. Science and technology buffs will find this book an essential guide to a future in which machines can outsmart people.

About the Author :
Sean Gerrish is a software engineer and machine learning geek. He has worked as an engineer at Teza Technologies and as an engineering manager for machine learning and data science teams at Google. He holds a PhD in machine learning from Princeton University. Kevin Scott is an executive vice president and chief technology officer of Microsoft, prior to which he was senior vice president of engineering and operations at LinkedIn. Scott is the host of the podcast Behind the Tech, which features interviews with technology heroes who have helped create the tech industry of today. Scott holds an MS in computer science from Wake Forest University, a BS in computer science from Lynchburg College, and completed most of his PhD in computer science at the University of Virginia. Kevin Scott is an executive vice president and chief technology officer of Microsoft, prior to which he was senior vice president of engineering and operations at LinkedIn. Scott is the host of the podcast Behind the Tech, which features interviews with technology heroes who have helped create the tech industry of today. Scott holds an MS in computer science from Wake Forest University, a BS in computer science from Lynchburg College, and completed most of his PhD in computer science at the University of Virginia. Timothy Andrés Pabon is an English- and Spanish-speaking voice-over artist who has worked extensively in advertising and audiobook narration. He has had acting roles on House of Cards and has also been a costar on HBO's acclaimed series The Wire opposite country music legend Steve Earl. As a stage actor, he has worked off-Broadway at the June Havoc Theatre, and his regional credits include Center Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage, the Hippodrome, Olney Theatre, Rep Stage, and GALA Hispanic Theatre.

Review :
"An enjoyable and insightful 'look under the hood' at recent AI developments. Gerrish introduces complex and important concepts in terms that any reader can understand." -- "Ray Kurzweil, New York Times bestselling author" "An excellent layman's introduction to contemporary AI and machine learning." -- "Kevin Murphy, Senior Staff Research Scientist at Google and author of Machine Learning: A Probabilistic Approach" "If you're curious what made some of the recent AI successes possible...this fascinating book is for you." -- "Pedro Domingos, professor of computer science at the University of Washington and author of The Master Algorithm"