Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins

I was expecting this book to be a lot more about artificial intelligence than it actually was, mainly because that’s the way that it’s marketed. Instead, it’s almost entirely about chess, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I got pretty interested in it and indeed now I’m in the mood to play it, and so I’ll probably rope my other half into a game or two.Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of stuff in here about the way that AI works and how it’s revolutionized our society, including a fascinating little section on how automated elevators first became a thing. The technology was available early on, but nobody wanted to get into one unless there was a human operator. Then elevator operators went on strike and public perception changed, and Kasparov says that something similar is happening when it comes to our approach to self-driving cars.Still, if you’re picking up this book because you’re interested in artificial intelligence, there are definitely better ones to go for. You’re better off going with this if you’re interested specifically in chess, especially because the bulk of this book basically involves going over the lead up to the big competition between Kasparov and IBM’s Deep Blue.I’m glad that I read it, but I don’t think I would have picked it up if I’d known what I know about it now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it should certainly give you pause for thought. Other than that, there’s some cool stuff on machine learning and natural language processing, as well as a well-deserved shoutout for Alan Turing. So not bad.

A great insight by Garry Kasparov into how computer chess began from his own personal challenge as the lead guinea pig. Very factual, honest and detailed. I was left admiring this man. I concluded that computer chess can be good for learning but it doesn't beat the joy of playing humans, with all our wonderful defects.

Throughly enjoyable read about the world of chess at the international level, about the changing role of computers and especially about the match between Kasparov and IBM's Deep Thought computer...makes IBM sound creepy though but realistic enough given that IBM got the publicity and then never agreed to a rematch. Worth reading.

I really enjoyed this book. It is engagingly written and ranges over a lot of topics. It was also interesting to read Garry Kasparov's inside account of his famous matches again Deep Blue. Strongly recommended if you are at all interested in either AI or chess.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend.