Review by Choice Review
Smith (Univ. of Toronto) distinguishes here between what he calls reckoning (a product of the current capability of artificial intelligence) and judgment (what sets human intelligence apart). Judgment, he says, is "a form of dispassionate deliberative thought, grounded in ethical commitment and responsible action." While tracing the history of AI from its first "wave," involving mainly reliance on symbolic representation and manipulation of data (sometimes represented as good old fashioned artificial intelligence or GOFAI), to its current phase, realized as machine learning and even deep learning, Smith asserts that these known capabilities are still far from judgment, which would require computers to "know what they are talking about." The argument of this book is that for computers to exhibit general artificial intelligence (GAI) that is comparable to human intelligence, they will need to "give a damn." Smith is interested in deep philosophical questions, beginning with "how" and "why" AI should reach the judgment stage. As stated in the jacket copy, some of his views are controversial. Yet this is an important work exploring questions that should concern readers inside and outside the computer science community. It deserves a wide reading among both audiences. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through facultly and professionals. General readers. --R. Bharath, emeritus, Northern Michigan University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review