Blondie24: Playing at the Edge of AI

Rating:
Summary: A Book With Deep Insights, Humor, and an Important Message
Review: David has written an important and influential book. Not only is the discussion of Blondie24, the cute checker playing heroine of the book, a lively romp through the ins and outs of evolutionary programming but it lays the stage for David's more serious and far reaching discussion of what is right and wrong in our quest for a companion intelligence. It is this aspect of the book - David Fogel's keen insights into the meaning of machine intelligence and the ways in which we might grow and nurture our thinking machine of the very near future that I found the most arresting and thought provoking. In David's world view the AI community, by and large, has completely missed the boat - our current attempts to create intelligent machines by programming them to think is futile and, at the very least, misguided. Making short work of neural networks and chess playing programs, David uses the seeming simple but ultimately powerful example of Blondie24, a program that learns how to play checkers from pure trail and error - learning from experience in a process very similar to our own way of learning - to illustrate the power and range of possibilities in evolutionary programming.

This book is well written, easy (and , in fact, fun) to read and touches on topics that make it an important and necessary book for every intelligent reader in today's world of the internet and ever more powerful computers. I am impressed with David's well thought out observations on the role of evolutionary programming not only in the workings of Blondie24 but also as the core technology for the next generation of thinking machines. As the Chief Executive Officer of Natural Selection, Inc. David's views are more than academic musings, they are an important part of his company's business. Positioning himself as a new Darwin of evolutionary intelligence, this book - along with his previous book Evolutionary Computation - Toward a New Philosophy of Machine Intelligence -- places Dr. Fogel as the leading exponent of this rapidly emerging paradigm in machine intelligence.

While an absolutely must read for all of us in the Artificial Intelligence field, this is a book for any curious reader who is interested in how (and perhaps when) the thinking machines of the near future will come about. And, of course, Blondie24 is a smart, intelligent creature whose attempts to divine the workings of the checker board are fun to follow and satisfying to share.

Rating:
Summary: Odious - It's not called Brunette48
Review: Dr. Fogel said that blondie48 wouldn't sell. And it's not called Brunette48 or 24 because the little checker players around the world liked to fantasize about playing and, perhaps dating the math major who skis and surfs and sews. . . .blah blah blah would be disappointed in discovering that she is a machine.

.... There are passages about artificial intelligence that are noteworthy - too few to mention here. Interesting passages about the iterations of machine learning. This book would be better as an article in a scientific journal - or People Magazine. Selling for about 5 bucks max.

Rating:
Summary: The Beginings of True A I
Review: Dr. Fogel's story of the development of a self-taught checkers playing computer is very engaging. While the theories and programming involved are very complex, David explained them in a way that I could follow and yet not feel as though I was reading a text meant for third graders. If you have even just a passing interest in A.I., I think you will find this a good read and very informative as well.

Rating:
Summary: Invaluable: light on equations and heavy on explanations!
Review: I am a software developer and my recent project called for me to delve into the realm of neural networks, and in particular genetically-evolved neural networks.

You'll find a lot of books in this field to be written from a point of view of someone who develops neural networks for a living (as opposed to using them when needed as a tool), and so are chock full of the kinds of equations and maths that I'm sure are obvious after you've written two or three of the things, but not much good for us first-timers to understand.

That is not Mr. Fogel's book.

Fogel goes to great pains to steer well clear of equations altogether and, although there's enough detail in there to start building your own networks, it's there in plain English, spelled out carefully but not condescendingly.

I guess the highest praise I can give is that while a lot of the other books (I read four) left me more confused than when I went in, I finished Mr. Fogel's book and felt immediately able to start plugging away at building genetically evolved neural networks myself.

Rating:
Summary: Inspirational at least...
Review: I have read many of David Fogel's scientific papers and have been enthralled by the work the he, his father, and brother have done in the world of Evolutionary Computation. This book is a general audience targeted version of perhaps the greatest accomplishment Dr. Fogel has achieved to date.

While this book is targeted at the general audience and therefore a bit disappointing for those wanting more technical details, the full bibliography provides access to those very details. This book is very well written and will inspire many to take up the banner and begin contributing to the scientific world through their own works.

Clearly an excellent book and highly recommended for anyone with an interesting in Artificial Intelligence.

Rating:
Summary: Inspirational at least...
Review: I have read many of David Fogel's scientific papers and have been enthralled by the work the he, his father, and brother have done in the world of Evolutionary Computation. This book is a general audience targeted version of perhaps the greatest accomplishment Dr. Fogel has achieved to date.

While this book is targeted at the general audience and therefore a bit disappointing for those wanting more technical details, the full bibliography provides access to those very details. This book is very well written and will inspire many to take up the banner and begin contributing to the scientific world through their own works.

Clearly an excellent book and highly recommended for anyone with an interesting in Artificial Intelligence.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant -- Best Book I've Read This Year
Review: I just finished this book yesterday. What a great read. The book very well written, I'd say it's often brilliant in places. Blondie24 is a computer program that taught itself to play checkers. As Fogel writes, the program used a combination of a simulation of evolution on his computer and models of how our own brains work to learn how to play. I find it amazing that a computer can teach itself to play checkers as well as human experts, and better than most people. What I really like about the book is that it's very readable. Anyone with a interest in science should be able to comprehend every idea in the book and it might just be able to change your opinion of what computers are really capable of. Not that this book hypes anything about AI, it doesn't. It plainly tells of the future of machines that can learn without needing humans to program in the answers. I find it all very fascinating and I think anyone with an interest in computers or science in general will too.

Rating:
Summary: Well written and intelligent. AI as it should be.
Review: I once took an introductory AI course (Brown '84, Professor Eugene Charniak) and was immediately turned off when, during the first lecture, the professor said that we would not cover learning. To talk about intelligence without learning seemed misguided. Blondie24 shows the power of learning in an organic, evolutionary way.

David Fogel gives a broad overview of the origins of the main approaches in classical AI. He explains how many approaches fell into a seductive trap of top down planning. His own approach uses evolution as a powerful tool for learning. Learning from the experience of life on earth, he proves that selecting simply on whether his chess program wins, loses, or draws over multiple games is sufficient to allow considerable learning. This is a powerful lesson that should be applicable across any discipline -- not simply checkers.

David writes simply and clearly and with respect even for the AI pioneers whose approaches he disagrees with.

Blondie24 has inspired me to read more on this subject. It is thought provoking -- I now want to start doing my own experiments in evolutionary programming to explore the ideas further.

P.S. I found that "Creation : Life and How to Make It" by Steve Grand to be an excellent follow up read to Blondie24.

Rating:
Summary: A True Technology Adventure
Review: I started reading David Fogel's "Blondie24: Playing at the Edge of AI" on a recent flight more or less to better my professional knowledge. I also had a `fun' book. However, once I started reading Blondie24 I could not put it down. It is a true technology adventure that describes the development of an innovative program that teaches itself to play checkers. And it did this with no expert input or help. Rather it just plays a second version of itself. The two versions independently `evolve' to determine winning positions and strategies. As Fogel describes, in short order the program can easily beat its creator. And not long there after 99% of the people participating on a checkers playing website. That's amazing. And I do this sort of stuff for a living.

David Fogel is a world renowned expert and innovator in the development of evolutionary learning techniques described in Blondie24. His work is the state of the art, well known and respected by all in the field. The program and its implications are not only fascinating but extremely important and I believe a real look into the future for the development of `intelligent' systems.

I highly recommend Blondie24 to anyone even mildly interested in current AI technologies and the future of computing and intelligent systems. It's a great book.

Rating:
Summary: A True Technology Adventure
Review: I started reading David Fogel's "Blondie24: Playing at the Edge of AI" on a recent flight more or less to better my professional knowledge. I also had a 'fun' book. However, once I started reading Blondie24 I could not put it down. It is a true technology adventure that describes the development of an innovative program that teaches itself to play checkers. And it did this with no expert input or help. Rather it just plays a second version of itself. The two versions independently 'evolve' to determine winning positions and strategies. As Fogel describes, in short order the program can easily beat its creator. And not long there after 99% of the people participating on a checkers playing website. That's amazing. And I do this sort of stuff for a living.

David Fogel is a world renowned expert and innovator in the development of evolutionary learning techniques described in Blondie24. His work is the state of the art, well known and respected by all in the field. The program and its implications are not only fascinating but extremely important and I believe a real look into the future for the development of 'intelligent' systems.

I highly recommend Blondie24 to anyone even mildly interested in current AI technologies and the future of computing and intelligent systems. It's a great book.