Understanding Artificial Intelligence (Science Made Accessible): Scientific American: 9780446678759: Amazon.com: Books

That this book is slightly dated in a very dynamic field seems to matter less than I expected. It covers the basic issues, reviews achievements and goals, and is structured well. As a collection by different authors who may not have written their pieces to be collated into a volume by Scientific American, the book works but is patchy. I note that Minsky seems to imply that genes do not have repair mechanisms - untrue, but even this great man admits to off days, although SA's editing role should have clarified this point (as a collection of articles I assume it was even twice published). Similarly, sloppy logic/wording when explaining about engineering another hundred human genes to improve longevity detracts slightly from an otherwise delightful article. Minsky's statement "Might not such people, who feel they might not have much to lose (when they die), be dangerous?" is a gem that applies well beyond this topic.