AI: Its nature and future

Book review
AI: Its nature and future
by Margaret A Boden
published by Oxford University Press

Reading time: 2 mins 



Professor Margaret A Boden is one of the longest-serving researchers in the field of artificial intelligence.  Since the 1960s she has been applying her early academic expertise in philosophy and psychology to the discipline of computer science, becoming inextricably linked with the latter’s quest for machine intelligence.

AI: Its nature and future is her attempt to condense not only decades of personal involvement in the field, but the entire research history of AI, from its speculative origins in the 19^th Century through to contemporary debates about the so-called Singularity.  At less than 170 pages this makes for a somewhat breezy sail across AI's deep and choppy seas.  If you like short reads, this one ticks the box.

Boden captures this history with the insights we would expect from someone who was right there in the thick of it, attending the conferences, writing the funding applications and peer reviewing the work of colleagues.  In this respect, the book should be viewed as an important source for future historians.

However, ‘important sources’ are not always an easy read, and Boden’s Marmite writing style frequently detracts from the content.  AI: Its nature and future is not, therefore, the most refined of introductions to the controversies, challenges and personalities associated with the development of AI.  In fact, the reader may be thankful for its brevity.  A much longer and more satisfying alternative is Nils J Nilsson’s The Quest for Artificial Intelligence.

So who would I recommend this book to?  Two groups immediately come to mind: firstly, there will be plenty of AI obsessives eager to read the output of every key player in the field – and Professor Boden is certainly one of those; secondly, the book will be invaluable to the many readers aiming for a professional understanding of how we got to where we are today, such as young researchers and technology writers.

If there is a third category, it will be those interested to learn more about the relatively small number of women who have achieved global recognition within the STEM sector.  Boden’s dedication to her numerous disciplines ought to inspire any young woman considering a career in cognitive or computer science.

Artificial intelligence has long been plagued by ‘thought-leaders’ offering fragile predictions, many bordering on science fantasy.  So it is refreshing to read Boden’s more grounded interpretation of AI’s prospects.  She positions herself at the more sceptical end of the spectrum.  “AI is less promising than many people presume”, she says, pointing out that its future has been “hyped since its inception.”

Nevertheless, she does suggest a direction which might take researchers closer to the goal of artificial general intelligence (or AGI), machines with human-like capabilities.  Drawing upon her decades of work within cognitive science, Boden notes that “the virtual machines implemented in our brains are both sequential and parallel.  Human intelligence requires subtle cooperation between them.  And human-level AGI, if it’s ever achieved, will do so too.”

A new generation of AI researchers, many taking inspiration from Boden’s lifetime of hard work, are now ready to take the helm.  A fascinating future awaits them.

AI: Its nature and future is published by Oxford University Press and available from all major retailers.

Professor Maggie Boden is Research Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex (England).

Writer: PJ Moar of Moar Partnerships
Email: p.moar@moar.com
Twitter: @MoarPart