For the last 8 months, I have been an avid reader / listener to just about every decent book, podcast and TED talk on the subject of artificial intelligence. During discussions about AI, I often get the question, “What would you recommend I read to get up to speed on AI?” Since I have a long commute and like to hike / jog, Amazon’s integration of their Kindle and Audible products (they stay in sync) is perfect.
Here are my suggestions:
- Watch this 13 min TED talk by Andrew McAfee (2013).
- Then read (or listen to) his book: The Second Machine Age (2016)
- Read (or re-read) The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil (2006). If you get bored from technical details quickly, focus on the first few chapters before he starts building a proof for his position. I know its now 11 years old-trust me, worth the read anyway.
- Kevin Kelly writes a great book (The Inevitable, 2016) about the 12 trends that will affect our lives. There is also a good summary on Amazon here. And a great TED talk for the relevant bits.
- Calum Chace has 2 worthwhile books, but his book about the economic impact of AI is a better read. The Economic Singularity, 2016. Surviving AI, 2016.
- If you want a scary read, try Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence, 2014.
- If that isn’t enough, these can round out your thirst for more perspectives:
- Rise of the Robots, Martin Ford. 2015.
- Our Final Invention, James Barrat, 2013.
