Evil Robots, Killer Computers, and Other Myths - by Steven Shwartz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Are AI robots and computers really going to take over the world?

Longtime artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and investor Steve Shwartz has grown frustrated with the fear-inducing hype around AI in popular culture and media. Yes, today's AI systems are miracles of modern engineering, but no, humans do not have to fear robots seizing control or taking over all our jobs.

In this exploration of the fascinating and ever-changing landscape of artificial intelligence, Dr. Shwartz explains how AI works in simple terms. After reading this captivating book, you will understand

- the inner workings of today's amazing AI technologies, including facial recognition, self-driving cars, machine translation, chatbots, deepfakes, and many others;

- why today's artificial intelligence technology cannot evolve into the AI of science fiction lore;

- the crucial areas where we will need to adopt new laws and policies in order to counter threats to our safety and personal freedoms resulting from the use of AI.

So although we don't have to worry about evil robots rising to power and turning us into pets-and we probably never will-artificial intelligence is here to stay, and we must learn to separate fact from fiction and embrace how this amazing technology enhances our world.

Review Quotes

"Despite his subject's forbidding technicality, Shwartz writes with unwavering clarity in a book that will be accessible to a wide audience."

-Kirkus Reviews

https: //www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steven-shwartz/evil-robots-killer-computers-and-other-myths/

"Steve has a sane perspective on what computers can and cannot do. In this book, he carefully goes over all the hype in what passes for AI these days and explains how it works-and why it doesn't really work all that well."

-Roger C. Schank, AI pioneer and former professor at Stanford, Yale, and Northwestern

"Are you afraid that artificial intelligence is going to make humans obsolete? Evil Robots, Killer Computers, and Other Myths dispels the mythology that has accompanied AI for nearly four decades. By removing the fog, Dr. Shwartz uses plain language and clear examples to enable mere mortals to understand how AI can supplement rather than replace human intelligence for the foreseeable future."

-Les Trachtman, adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University and author of the Amazon bestseller Don't F**k It Up: How Founders and Their Successors Can Avoid the Clichés That Inhibit Growth

"AI is everywhere, from acting on voice commands to reading X-rays. With over 40 years in the field, Dr. Shwartz dives into the machine to help us understand what is really happening inside. He unlocks the current advances in AI and how special they are as the book unwinds the mysteries of how it all works. The Terminator may not be around the corner and AI ability may not be so scary, yet it is in the understanding of how humans will choose to use this powerful technology that may reshape our work or shake our world. This overview will transform your view and help shape how you may relate to the AI of the future."

- Alan Reznik, orthopedist and author of I've Fallen and I Can Get Up

"As a venture investor, I was looking for a better understanding of machine learning, deep neural networks, and artificial intelligence. Dr. Shwartz clearly explains these concepts and why we need not fear intelligent evil robots in the near future. He forces us to think instead about the very serious societal issues arising from today's more limited AI."

- Christopher McLeod, managing partner, Elm Street Ventures

"Dr. Shwartz draws on his 40 years of leading artificial intelligence research and application to provide a clear understanding for executives and technical types that machine thinking and reasoning is still a distant hope-and not to expect machines to replace humans-while also explaining the AI capabilities that are changing the world today and in the nearer future."

- Bruce Gallager, partner, True Global Venture

"Industry has created larger and more powerful computers in a quest to fulfill society's Edifice Complex. A trend that began in the 1940s when the 'Mechanical Brain' of ENIAC was announced, society has invoked the common meme that AI will take over the world and destroy its creators. Dr. Shwartz demonstrates how media hype around electronic brains waxes and wanes. His thesis is that general AI is the computer science of the future, and always will be."

-Douglas Lyon, professor at Fairfield University