On Machine Intelligence, Second Edition

Description

Donald Michie was among the pioneers of Bletchley Park from 1942-1945, working with the Colossus series of computers. After a post-war career in biology, for which Oxford University awarded him the D.Sc., he formed the Experimental Programming Unit at Edinburgh in 1965, and conceived and directed the FREDDY robot project, recognised as a world first. He held the chair of Machine Intelligence at Edinburgh from 1967-1985, and is Editor-in-Chief of the acclaimed Machine Intelligence series, as well as co-editing _Intelligent Systems_ (Ellis Horwood, 1983). He is Chief Scientist and Director of Research at the Turing Institute and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the British Computer Society. This lucid commentary on twenty-five years with machines which learn and plan traces and illuminates the latest progress towards the goal of the intelligent machine. It surveys an integrated sequence of researches undertaken by Professor Michie and his colleagues, while at the same time providing an authoritative introduction to the subject. This second edition, which has been completely revised and expanded, incorporates much stimulating new material, resulting in a new book rather than a new edition. Half of the present text has been newly written, and fresh introductory notes supplied for each of the book's four main sections. Every chapter is individual and self-sufficient, offering the reader the freedom to select topics to suit his own needs, and helping towards both theoretical and practical approaches to representing cognitive processes in machines. It is a thought-provoking review which will help satisfy the thirst for information and advice in the fast-growing areas of artificial intelligence, from the pen of an internationally respected leader in the field. It is fascinating to read, elegant and persuasive in its presentation, and will be widely read not only by scientists and engineers, but by all interested in the role of computers today. Readership: Scientists, engineers and researchers in artificial intelligence, computing, machine intelligence, robotics, machine learning; knowledge engineering; cognitive science; information science; software engineering; electronics. - Foreword - Foreword to First Edition - Preface - Introduction - Acknowledgements Section 1: Computer Game Playing - Introductory note to Section 1 1. Trial and error 2. Puzzle-learning versus game-learning 3. Machines that play and plan 3. Evaluative comments in chess 4. Computable sub-games of chess 5. Computer chess and the humanisation of technology Section 2: Intelligent Robots - Introductory note to Section 2 7. Integrated cognitive systems 8. Tokyo—Edinburgh dialogue 9. Artificial intelligence 10. Machine intelligence at Edinburgh 11. Machines and the theory of intelligence 12. Knowledge engineering 13. Machine intelligence as technology 14. Steps towards robot intelligence Section 3: Mechanics of Cognition - Introductory note to Section 3 15. Memory mechanisms and machine learning 16. Machine models of perceptual and intellectual skills 17. High-road and low-road programs 18. Measuring the knowledge-content of expert systems 19. Automating the synthesis of expertise Section 4: AI and Society - Introductory note to Section 4 20. Computer — servant or master? 21. Towards a knowledge accelerator 22. Machine intelligence: the first 2400 years - index