Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins

by Garry Kasparov, Mig Greengard Narrated by Bob Brown, Garry Kasparov

Overview

Garry Kasparov's 1997 chess match against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue was a watershed moment in the history of technology. It was the dawn of a new era in artificial intelligence: a machine capable of beating the reigning human champion at this most cerebral game.

That moment was more than a century in the making, and in this breakthrough book, Kasparov reveals his astonishing side of the story for the first time. He describes how it felt to strategize against an implacable, untiring opponent with the whole world watching, and recounts the history of machine intelligence through the microcosm of chess, considered by generations of scientific pioneers to be a key to unlocking the secrets of human and machine cognition. Kasparov uses his unrivaled experience to look into the future of intelligent machines and sees it bright with possibility. As many critics decry artificial intelligence as a menace, particularly to human jobs, Kasparov shows how humanity can rise to new heights with the help of our most extraordinary creations, rather than fear them. Deep Thinking is a tightly argued case for technological progress, from the man who stood at its precipice with his own career at stake.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The great Garry Kasparov takes on the key economic issue of our time: how we can thrive as humans in a world of thinking machines. This important and optimistic book explains what we as humans are uniquely qualified to do. Instead or wringing our hands about robots, we should all read this book and embrace the future."—Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of The Innovators

"Garry Kasparov's perspectives on artificial intelligence are borne of personal experience - and despite that, are optimistic, wise and compelling. It's one thing for the giants of Silicon Valley to tell us our future is bright; it is another thing to hear it from the man who squared off with the world's most powerful computer, with the whole world watching, and his very identity at stake."—Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of Smarter Faster Better



"From the man at the epi-center of one the ten defining moments of the 20th century, a fascinating and insightful overview of how computers came to surpass humans at chess, and what it means for mankind. Deeply research and clearly exposited, it is also a revealing portrait of what it is like to a real-life John Henry pitted against the steam hammer."—Ken Rogoff, bestselling author of This Time is Different

"A highly human exploration of artificial intelligence, its exciting possibilities and inherent limits."
—Max Levchin, cofounder of PayPal, CEO of Affirm, and Silicon Valley angel investor

"Intelligent, absorbing...Thoughtful reading for anyone interested in human and machine cognition and a must for chess fans."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"As Kasparov recounts in arresting detail what it felt like to compete cognitively with a machine, he extrapolates his experience into an optimistic perspective on how computerized intelligence can enhance rather than overwhelm human brainpower, and instead of only eliminating jobs and opportunities, can actually generate them."
—Booklist

"Kasparov includes enough detail to satisfy chess enthusiasts, while providing a thrilling narrative for the casual reader. Deep Thinking delivers a rare balance of analysis and narrative, weaving commentary about technological progress with an inside look at one of the most important chess matches ever played."—Demis Hassabis, Nature

"The raw emotion of [the loss to Deep Blue] bursts out of the pages of Kasparov's gripping story, which he fully recounts for the first time in Deep Thinking... What is striking, and reassuring, is that far from raging against the machine, Kasparov marvels at the capabilities of computers and is excited by the possibilities for future collaboration...reads at times like a fast-paced psychological thriller."—John Thornhill, Financial Times

"Deep Thinking is like Kasparov himself: fascinating, razor-sharp, and provocative. In it he finally tells us, twenty years later, what he's learned from participating in the most famous human vs. machine competition since John Henry. The answer is a huge amount, which is also what you'll learn from reading Deep Thinking."—Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist at MIT and coauthor of The Second Machine Age

"Garry Kasparov has been a true pioneer in both the theory and practice of human-machine intelligence. Deep Thinking encompasses his wisdom in these areas in a highly entertaining and informative manner. I couldn't put it down, and don't think you will be able to either."—Tyler Cowen, author of The Great Stagnation

"Few people have a more interesting or illuminating perspective than Garry Kasparov. Deep Thinking is a provocative and fascinating read that will challenge the conventional wisdom about our future."—Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP

Library Journal

05/01/2017
Tapping into his longtime interest in artificial intelligence, Kasparov (How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom), who is considered one of the greatest chess players of all time, pitted his expertise against various computers to help develop a machine that could beat any human opponent. Since the winning machine looks at many potential moves and picks the best one based on an evaluation function fed into it by its human developers yet is itself unaware it is playing chess, the author concludes that this effort may have done little to advance the search for true artificial intelligence. However, the heart of this book is Kasparov's postmortem of the 1997 match in which he lost to IBM's Deep Blue. He attributes the defeat partly to his own mistakes but primarily to what he views as the unsportsmanlike and unethical actions of the IBM team. In so doing, he offers some compelling insights about chess and life. VERDICT This thought-provoking account should find a large audience among those who want to learn more about chess, artificial intelligence, or Kasparov himself.—Harold D. Shane, Mathematics Emeritus, Baruch Coll. Lib., CUNY

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2017-04-04
Former world chess champion and human rights activist Kasparov (Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped, 2015, etc.) offers an optimistic view of humankind's relationship with machines. "With every new encroachment of machines, the voices of panic and doubt are heard, and they are only getting louder today," writes the author, who famously lost a chess match against IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997. Since his retirement from professional chess, Kasparov has used his experience as a window on human-machine decision-making, in talks to business groups and in work as a visiting fellow at the Oxford Martin School. In this intelligent, absorbing book, he manages to both tell the story of his encounter with IBM's machine (with the "speed and depth of brute force search" to exploit human mistakes) and celebrate the untold coming benefits of smart machines. His detailed inside account of Deep Blue reflects on his own poor play and the likelihood that IBM gave its machine unfair advantages. As he said at the time, "I do not blame IBM, I blame myself." Kasparov also notes how chess-playing computers get stronger, change their openings, and pay no attention to "the competitive and psychological aspects of chess." Observing that most of us will be as disconcerted by driverless cars as he was by chess-playing machines, he urges that we take advantage of the proliferation of computers as they assume many roles of lawyers, bankers, doctors, and other professionals. "It's remarkable how quickly we go from being skeptics to taking a new technology for granted," he writes. Overreliance on machines may be dangerous if you want to innovate rather than imitate, but listening to them allows you to overcome your emotional biases. Given honest data, machines can "make us into better decision makers." Thoughtful reading for anyone interested in human and machine cognition and a must for chess fans.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169949315
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	05/02/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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