The Media Lab

Because of the emphasis on the specifics in each field rather than the general principles involved, the relationship between AI and the subjects under discussion is unclear. Some topics, such as Teitelman's algorithm for recognizing handwritten characters, were extremely difficult to decipher. The appropriateness of including such in-depth treatments in an introductory text on AI is questionable. Thankfully, Firebaugh reverts to his more characteristic style with the subsequent chapter on machine learning. Here is a highly focused discussion; the concepts, applications, and relative merits of various machine learning techniques and their relationship to AI are neatly presented.