Amazon Bestseller in AI & Semantics 2022 Silver Medalist in the AXIOM Business Book Awards in Emerging Trends/ AI Are AI robots and computers really going to take over the world? Longtime artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and investor Steve Shwartz has grown frustrated with the fear-inducing hype around AI in popular culture and media. Yes, today’s AI systems are miracles of modern engineering, but no, humans do not have to fear robots seizing control or taking over all our jobs. In this exploration of the fascinating and ever-changing landscape of artificial intelligence, Dr. Shwartz explains how AI works in simple terms. After reading this captivating book, you will understand the inner workings of today’s amazing AI technologies, including facial recognition, self-driving cars, machine translation, chatbots, deepfakes, and many others; - why today’s artificial intelligence technology cannot evolve into the AI of science fiction lore; - the crucial areas where we will need to adopt new laws and policies in order to counter threats to our safety and personal freedoms resulting from the use of AI. So although we don’t have to worry about evil robots rising to power and turning us into pets—and we probably never will—artificial intelligence is here to stay, and we must learn to separate fact from fiction and embrace how this amazing technology enhances our world. "Despite his subject's forbidding technicality, Shwartz writes with unwavering clarity in a book that will be accessible to a wide audience."- Kirkus Reviews "...should be required reading as a basic primer for any science and technology student interested in AI development and history." -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review "Shwartz points out that 'many people are concerned that intelligent robots will be able to read manuals, take courses, and eliminate all our jobs. Fortunately, this is science fiction.'" -Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com "Steve has a sane perspective on what computers can and cannot do. In this book, he carefully goes over all the hype in what passes for AI these days and explains how it works--and why it doesn't really work all that well." -Roger Schank, AI pioneer and former professor at Stanford, Yale, and Northwestern "Dr. Shwartz demonstrates how media hype around electronic brains waxes and wanes. His thesis is that that general AI is the computer science of the future, and always will be." -Douglas Lyon, professor at Fairfield University "By removing the fog, Dr. Shwartz uses plain language and clear examples to enable mere mortals to understand how AI can supplement rather than replace human intelligence for the foreseeable future." -Les Trachtman, adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of the Amazon bestseller Don't F**K It Up: How Founders and Their Successors Can Avoid the Clichés that Inhibit Growth "Steve Shwartz isn't particularly worried about artificial intelligence, and if anyone should know whether or not to panic, it's him." -Sarajayne Sullivan, Hearst Publications "Shwartz explains how AI works in simple terms, why people shouldn't worry about intelligent robots taking over the world, and the steps we need to take as a society to minimize the negative impacts of AI and maximize its positive influence." -Jon Knox, Automotive Industries Shwartz has boldly declared in his new book that the culture of fear around AI should be destroyed -- as anxiety over what AI can do doesn't accurately reflect the current iterations of the technology.-Kassidy Kelley, TechTarget "With over 40 years in the field, Dr. Shwartz dives into the machine to help us understand what is really happening inside. -Alan Reznik, orthopedist and author of I've Fallen and I Can Get Up "Dr. Shwartz clearly explains why we need not fear intelligent evil robots in the near future. He forces us to think instead about the very serious societal issues arising from today's more limited AI." -Christopher McLeod, managing partner, Elm Street Ventures "Dr. Shwartz draws on his 40 years of leading artificial intelligence research and application to provide a clear understanding for executives and technical types that machine thinking and reasoning is still a distant hope--and not to expect machines to replace humans--while also providing what AI capabilities are changing the world today and in the nearer future." -Bruce Gallager, partner, True Global Venture Steve Shwartz began his AI career working with Roger Schank as a postdoctoral researcher in the Yale University Artificial Intelligence Lab. Starting in the 1980s, Steve was a founder or cofounder of several AI companies, one of which created the award-winning Esperant business intelligence product. As the AI Winter of the 1990s set in, Steve transitioned into a career as a successful serial software entrepreneur and investor and created several companies that were either acquired or had public offerings.