from Hacker News

New Book by Garry Kasparov on Mind and AI

by apetrov on 6/8/17, 11:00 PM with 1 comments

• by mindcrime on 6/8/17, 11:44 PM

  I just finished reading this a few days ago. It's an interesting read in the general sense. But don't go in expecting a book full of deep technical details on AI, or anything that truly answers the most profound questions about the future of "man and AI". It's pretty much what you'd expect: a book that talks about AI and the future in not overly technical terms (for the most part), written by a very smart man who was world chess champion for a long time, and who had a unique position to develop perspective on AI and its relationship with humanity.

  It's also not a book that explores chess in deep technical detail either, although there is a lot of information on chess, especially the history of computer chess and "man vs machine" chess competitions - the latter of which predate the "Kasparov vs. Deep Blue" match by quite some time.

  There is quite a bit of detail on the (in)famous Deep Blue match, and Kasparov does seem a bit contrite regarding some of the things that were said in the immediate aftermath of that match. If you're not familiar with the history there, let's just say that Kasparov was a bit harsh towards IBM and the Deep Blue team afterwards, and said some things that were taken as inflammatory. Some of them seemed to constitute at least a semi-veiled suggestion of cheating on the part of Deep Blue, if not an outright accusation.

  Anyway, if you're interested in the history of computer chess, or specifically interested in the Kasparov vs. Deep Blue match, this book is definitely for you. If you want a sort of general viewpoint on the future of the relationship between humankind and AI, in not overly technical terms, this is likely for you. Otherwise, there may not be much in it to capture your interest.