Routledge Library Editions Artificial Intelligence

"Artificial Intelligence" (AI) a term coined in the 1950s actually dates back as far as 1943. Now very much in the public consciousness, AI research has fallen in and out of favour over the years. Routledge Library Editions: Artificial Intelligence (10 Volumes) brings together as one set, or individual volumes, a small interdisciplinary series of previously out-of-print titles, originally published between 1970 and 1994. Covering ground in computer science, literature, philosophy, psychology, psychotherapy and sociology, this set is a fascinating insight into the development of ideas surrounding AI.

Originally published in 1987 when Artificial Intelligence (AI) was one of the most hotly debated subjects of the moment; there was widespread feeling that it was a field whose ‘time had come’, that intelligent machines lay ‘just around the corner’. Moreover, with the onset of the revolution in information technology and the proclamation from all corners that we were moving into an ‘information society’, developments in AI and advanced computing were seen in many countries as having both strategic and economic importance. Yet, aside from the glare of publicity that tends to surround new scientific ideas or technologies, it must be remembered that AI was a relative newcomer among the sciences; that it had often been the subject of bitter controversy; and that though it had been promising to create intelligent machines for some 40 years prior to publication, many believe that it had actually displayed very little substantive progress. With this background in mind, the aim of this collection of essays was to take a novel look at AI. Rather than following the path of old well-trodden arguments about definitions of intelligence or the status of computer chess programs, the objective was to bring new perspectives to the subject in order to present it in a different light. Indeed, instead of simply adding to the endless wrangling ‘for’ and ‘against’ AI, the source of such divisions is made a topic for analysis in its own right. Drawing on ideas from the philosophy and sociology of scientific knowledge, this collection therefore broke new ground. Moreover, although a great deal had been written about the social and cultural impact of AI, little had been said of the culture of AI scientists themselves – including their discourse and style of thought, as well as the choices, judgements, negotiations and competitive struggles for resources that had shaped the genesis and development of the paradigmatic structure of their discipline at the time. Yet, sociologists of science have demonstrated that the analysis of factors such as these is a necessary part of understanding the development of scientific knowledge. Hence, it was hoped that this collection would help to redress the imbalance and provide a broader and more interesting picture of AI.

Originally published in 1986, in order to probe, dispute and analyse the role of artificial intelligence in cybernetic thought and information science, the author pursues this topic within its philosophical, behavioral and neurophysiological contexts, while drawing attention to cognitive issues. By elucidating the problems and potential associated with knowledge-based systems, the book emphasized the need to examine artificial intelligence in its own right.

The purpose of this book, originally published in 1987, was to contribute to the advance of artificial intelligence (AI) by clarifying and removing the major sources of philosophical confusion at the time which continued to preoccupy scientists and thereby impede research. Unlike the vast majority of philosophical critiques of AI, however, each of the authors in this volume has made a serious attempt to come to terms with the scientific theories that have been developed, rather than attacking superficial ‘straw men’ which bear scant resemblance to the complex theories that have been developed. For each is convinced that the philosopher’s responsibility is to contribute from his own special intellectual point of view to the progress of such an important field, rather than sitting in lofty judgement dismissing the efforts of their scientific peers. The aim of this book is thus to correct some of the common misunderstandings of its subject. The technical term Artificial Intelligence has created considerable unnecessary confusion because of the ordinary meanings associated with it, and for that very reason, the term is endlessly misused and abused. The essays collected here all aim to expound the true nature of AI, and to remove the ill-conceived philosophical discussions which seek answers to the wrong questions in the wrong ways. Philosophical discussions and decisions about the proper use of AI need to be based on a proper understanding of the manner in which AI-scientists achieve their results; in particular, in their dependence on the initial planning input of human beings. The collection combines the Anglo-Saxon school of analytical philosophy with scientific and psychological methods of investigation. The distinguished authors in this volume represent a cross-section of philosophers, psychologists, and computer scientists from all over the world. The result is a fascinating study in the nature and future of AI, written in a style which is certain to appeal and inform laymen and specialists alike.

The Routledge Social Science Handbook of AI is a landmark volume providing students and teachers with a comprehensive and accessible guide to the major topics and trends of research in the social sciences of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as surveying how the digital revolution – from supercomputers and social media to advanced automation and robotics – is transforming society, culture, politics and economy. The Handbook provides representative coverage of the full range of social science engagements with the AI revolution, from employment and jobs to education and new digital skills to automated technologies of military warfare and the future of ethics. The reference work is introduced by editor Anthony Elliott, who addresses the question of relationship of social sciences to artificial intelligence, and who surveys various convergences and divergences between contemporary social theory and the digital revolution. The Handbook is exceptionally wide-ranging in span, covering topics all the way from AI technologies in everyday life to single-purpose robots throughout home and work life, and from the mainstreaming of human-machine interfaces to the latest advances in AI, such as the ability to mimic (and improve on) many aspects of human brain function. A unique integration of social science on the one hand and new technologies of artificial intelligence on the other, this Handbook offers readers new ways of understanding the rise of AI and its associated global transformations. Written in a clear and direct style, the Handbook will appeal to a wide undergraduate audience.

Originally published in 1989 The Industrialization of Intelligence is a spirited blend of the principles of social science and computer technology. Critically praised in the United States and England by leading lights both literary and technological, it develops an original and provocative model of the interplay between computer systems and social systems. Noah Kennedy has composed a compelling story from key episodes in the development of the computer, and coupled it with a probing analysis of the true role of automation in modem society. The result firmly plants computer technology in the soil of western culture and denies the shrill claims that the information age represents a sudden break with the historical past. He starts with biographical vignettes from the lives of five pivotal thinkers, weaving their crucial insights into the larger fabric of contemporary and future society. He then gives a provocative forecast of the role of artificial intelligence in future society, and examines the probable impact of new computer technologies on employment and on the relationships between nations. The result is a reasoned understanding of our imminent future through a thoughtful analysis of our historical past.

Originally published in 1996 as a special issue journal, Artificial Intelligence Applications on Wall Street, presents a series of articles derived from papers at the Third International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications on Wall Street. The volume addresses how Artificial Intelligence can be used to address the variety of issues in that arise in the world of investments, such as synthetic instruments, forecasting and surveillance. It examines the potential problems surrounding economic assumption of rationality in a global market, and how artificial intelligence can push the bounds of rationality.