ai

Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine
$28.98
To start, i believe this is a fantastic book for at least two types of people:
-the casual reader or scifi type who'd love a high-level, and well written overview of artificial intelligence
-a cynical techno-weenie who needs a break from systems programming for a book about all the stuff they got into computers for in the first place

so essentially, I'd describe this book as a chronicle of the history of AI up to the present (more or less), motivated by a deep philosophical interest in machines that can think. The first 2/3 of the book is spent describing the major successes of AI, and why despite all of it we still don't have a skynet. Storrs Hall did his homework here, and I guarantee you'll learn something even if you've read Russel & Norvig cover to cover. The real joy of this book, however, comes in the end as he waxes philosophical on the whole concept of super-human intelligence and the singularity. I found this really interesting despite thinking kurzweil is a bit nuts. Assuming you're into this sort of thing, I think you'd have to agree that Storrs Hall's analysis of AI and its implications has the rigorous, penetrating quality that's hallmark of a veteran researcher.
And with all this packaged in 400 pages, it's a much richer source of facts and ideas, in my opinion, than GEB (as suggested by another reviewer). This book reads like the best popular science, with pinker as a fine example.

I came across this book when i was trying to sort out my own thoughts on the progress and direction of AI and cognitive science while applying to grad schools. Coming from a cog background, i always enjoy indulging in the philosophical issues surrounding AI, and I found this book an excellent guide through the successes and failures of 50 years research. Sure, part of my initial reaction to this book, which was overwhelmingly positive, was simply because the book was a good fit for me at the time. It's been over a year since I read it now, however, and as I look back after a year of research in robotics with somewhat more seasoned eyes, I find that his ideas sit at the core of what I feel the study of an artificial mind really is, and where it may go in the future.

Programming Game AI by Example
$49.95
This is the book used in my AI and Data Structures programming class at DeVry University in their Game and Simulation Programming major. This book combined with my professor who's the lead software engineer for High Voltage, Inc. have made learning various AI concepts easier than I had imagined. The book has complete source code for various types of AI structures including a message based finite state machine that allows for easy creation of states, actors, and messages with easy to understand memory management functions. There's also a graphic based test board type of application that allows you to test how fast path search algorithms ranging from Depth First, Breadth First, Djikstras, and A* methods. There's also features to learn and experiment with different heuristic methods as well. The book is easy to read and the C++ code source is easy to follow and understand for a beginner to intermediate programmer skill level.

A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
$9.98
I like very much the scene where it appears Mr. know as a simile of a Library of the future where we can see that even in the form of holograms, the disambiguation continue through the basic principles of categorization in classes in order to find the information we need.

AI Game Engine Programming
$54.99
This is a good book if you are a relatively experienced programmer who is beginning game programming (like me) or if you are already somewhat experienced in basic game development and simply want to improve your AI knowledge. The book covers loads of different AI patterns for all sorts of different situations. Some of these I was familiar with such as Finite State Machines but there were plenty of others that I hadn't taken a look at before but which am now using a lot (thanks to this book) such as Fuzzy State Machines. I didn't really have any trouble with the graphics code being written in OpenGL which is my library of choice since I do a lot of work on non-Microsoft systems. If you are also in the process of learning OpenGL, for example because you want to write games software for mobile platforms such as the iPhone/iPod or Android, this is actually a nice bonus. Mind you the Apple products at least use OpenGL ES which differs slightly from OpenGL but this doesn't detract from the value of the sample OpenGL code provided here. I like the way the author demonstrates his teachings with quite comprehensive example projects unlike some other programming books I have read where the authors provided a lot less code. In the end there are few things that you learn from as well as reading raw sources. Quite a lot of the source code is written in C++ but then again I didn't buy the book for C++ lessons, I bought it for the design patterns it covers and these are easily implemented in other languages. The one criticism I have of this book is that after only a few months of use the binding is already splitting.