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Technology » Artificial Intelligence

Most Recommended Books

The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil

“I wouldn’t be the first to look at him this way but I read Kurzweil’s work as essentially a work of religious mysticism. I think there’s no other way to read it, really.”

Mark O'Connell, Journalist

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Browse book recommendations:

Technology

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computing
  • Digital Age
  • History of Technology
  • Internet

Editor's note: If you're looking for a book on artificial intelligence for the general reader, Stuart Russell, a professor at Berkeley and the author (along with Peter Norvig) of the top-ranked computer science/AI textbook has written one. It's called Human Compatible. 

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As artificial intelligence becomes more important in today's increasingly digitised world, here are the best AI books. Will artificial intelligence be the doom or the saviour of mankind? Should we be worried by the rise of robotics, or welcome androids with open arms?

Our interview on artificial intelligence with Calum Chace, author of several books on the subject, is a great introduction to this topical issue.

Once you're up to speed on the practical aspects of the field, as well as its promises and pitfalls, you can dig deeper into the ethical questions of AI in our interview with Oxford philosopher Paula Boddington.

To understand if, how and when machines will catch up to humans, you can learn more about robotics books with novelist and sci-fi fan Daniel Wilson, or the intelligence of Watson and other AIs or whether eternal life is possible via a computer. The possibilities are endless.

    The best books on Artificial Intelligence, recommended by Calum Chace

  • Read
    The best books on Artificial Intelligence - The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil

    1

    The Singularity Is Near
    by Ray Kurzweil

  • Read
    The best books on Artificial Intelligence - Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom

    2

    Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
    by Nick Bostrom

  • Read
    The best books on Artificial Intelligence - Rise of the Robots by Martin Ford

    3

    Rise of the Robots
    by Martin Ford

  • Read
    The best books on Artificial Intelligence - The Second Machine Age by Andrew McAfee & Erik Brynjolfsson

    4

    The Second Machine Age
    by Andrew McAfee & Erik Brynjolfsson

  • Read
    The best books on Artificial Intelligence - Permutation City by Greg Egan

    5

    Permutation City
    by Greg Egan

The best books on Artificial Intelligence, recommended by Calum Chace

It could lead us all to immortality or spell the end of the human race. Author Calum Chace picks the best books on Artificial Intelligence or AI.

    The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence, recommended by Paula Boddington

  • Read
    The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence - Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity to Maximize Machines by John Havens

    1

    Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity to Maximize Machines
    by John Havens

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    The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence - The Technological Singularity by Murray Shanahan

    2

    The Technological Singularity
    by Murray Shanahan

  • Read
    The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence - Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'Neil

    3

    Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
    by Cathy O'Neil

  • Read
    The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence - Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen

    4

    Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong
    by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen

  • Read
    The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence - 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke

    5

    2001: A Space Odyssey
    by Arthur C Clarke

The best books on Ethics for Artificial Intelligence, recommended by Paula Boddington

Advances in artificial intelligence pose a myriad of ethical questions, but the most incisive thinking on this subject says more about humans than it does about machines, says Paula Boddington, Oxford academic and author of Towards a Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence.

    The best books on Watson, recommended by Stephen Baker

  • Read
    The best books on Watson - After Thought by James Bailey

    1

    After Thought
    by James Bailey

  • Read
    The best books on Watson - Darwin Among the Machines by George Dyson

    2

    Darwin Among the Machines
    by George Dyson

  • Read
    The best books on Watson - Glut by Alex Wright


    3

    Glut
    by Alex Wright


  • Read
    The best books on Watson - The User Illusion by Tor Nørretranders

    4

    The User Illusion
    by Tor Nørretranders

  • Read
    The best books on Watson - The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder

    5

    The Soul of a New Machine
    by Tracy Kidder

The best books on Watson, recommended by Stephen Baker

Former BusinessWeek writer recommends five books that deepen our understanding of the science and psychology behind Jeopardy!’s computer champion, Watson

    The best books on Robotics, recommended by Daniel H Wilson

  • Read
    The best books on Robotics - Second Variety by Philip K Dick

    1

    Second Variety
    by Philip K Dick

  • Read
    The best books on Robotics - Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein

    2

    Starship Troopers
    by Robert A Heinlein

  • Read
    The best books on Robotics - Machine Learning by Tom M Mitchell

    3

    Machine Learning
    by Tom M Mitchell

  • Read
    The best books on Robotics - Wired for War by P W Singer

    4

    Wired for War
    by P W Singer

  • Read
    The best books on Robotics - For a Breath I Tarry by Roger Zelazny

    5

    For a Breath I Tarry
    by Roger Zelazny

The best books on Robotics, recommended by Daniel H Wilson

These days robotic technology is developing so fast that sci-fi is having a hard time keeping up, says best-selling author and roboticist, Daniel H Wilson. He picks the best books on robotics.

    The best books on Existential Risks, recommended by The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk

  • Read
    The best books on Existential Risks - The Last Children by Gudrun Pausewang

    1

    The Last Children
    by Gudrun Pausewang

  • Read
    The best books on Existential Risks - A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

    2

    A Canticle for Leibowitz
    by Walter M. Miller Jr.

  • Read
    The best books on Existential Risks - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

    3

    Cloud Atlas
    by David Mitchell

  • Read
    The best books on Existential Risks - Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet by Gernot Wagner & Martin L. Weitzman

    4

    Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet
    by Gernot Wagner & Martin L. Weitzman

  • Read
    The best books on Existential Risks - The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

    5

    The Dark Forest
    by Cixin Liu

The best books on Existential Risks, recommended by The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk

In the rapidly-emerging field of existential risks, researchers study the mitigation of threats that could lead to human extinction or civilisational collapse. We met with four researchers from The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge, to discuss their recommendations of the best books to get a grasp of this dense subject.

    The best books on Transhumanism, recommended by Mark O'Connell

  • Read
    The best books on Transhumanism - Frankenstein (Book) by Mary Shelley

    1

    Frankenstein (Book)
    by Mary Shelley

  • Read
    The best books on Transhumanism - The Russian Cosmists: The Esoteric Futurism of Nikolai Fedorov and His Followers by George M. Young

    2

    The Russian Cosmists: The Esoteric Futurism of Nikolai Fedorov and His Followers
    by George M. Young

  • Read
    The best books on Transhumanism - The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien

    3

    The Third Policeman
    by Flann O'Brien

  • Read
    The best books on Transhumanism - The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil

    4

    The Singularity Is Near
    by Ray Kurzweil

  • Read
    The best books on Transhumanism - Zero K by Don DeLillo

    5

    Zero K
    by Don DeLillo

The best books on Transhumanism, recommended by Mark O'Connell

The journalist and author Mark O’Connell explored the nature of transhumanism—the belief that technology will help us evolve beyond our current physical and mental limitations—in his award-winning book To Be A Machine. Here he selects five key books that speak directly to the movement.

    The best books on Data Science, recommended by Roger D. Peng

  • Read
    The best books on Data Science - Statistical Evidence: A Likelihood Paradigm by Richard Royall

    1

    Statistical Evidence: A Likelihood Paradigm
    by Richard Royall

  • Read
    The best books on Data Science - Visualize This: The FlowingData Guide to Design, Visualization, and Statistics by Nathan Yau

    2

    Visualize This: The FlowingData Guide to Design, Visualization, and Statistics
    by Nathan Yau

  • Read
    The best books on Data Science - Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

    3

    Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals
    by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

  • Read
    The best books on Data Science - An Introduction to Statistical Learning: with Applications in R by Daniela Witten, Gareth James, Robert Tibshirani & Trevor Hastie

    4

    An Introduction to Statistical Learning: with Applications in R
    by Daniela Witten, Gareth James, Robert Tibshirani & Trevor Hastie

  • Read
    The best books on Data Science - Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work by Nigel Cross

    5

    Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work
    by Nigel Cross

The best books on Data Science, recommended by Roger D. Peng

From complex techniques only used by academic statisticians, data science has risen to extreme popularity in only a few years. Roger D. Peng, Professor of Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University and founder of one of the largest data science online courses, helps us understand this discipline and recommends the five best books to delve into it.

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