Textbook in PDF format

In Basic AI, leading futurist David L. Shrier delves deep into the rapidly advancing world of Artificial Intelligence, delivering fascinating insights and exploring the impact this powerful technology will have on our lives and world.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving workforce disruption on a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution. In schools and universities, AI technology has forced a re-evaluation of the way students are taught and assessed. Meanwhile ChatGPT has become a cultural phenomenon, reaching 100 million users and attracting a $10 billion dollar investment in its parent company OpenAI. The race to dominate the generative AI market is accelerating at breakneck speed, inspiring breathless headlines and immense public interest.
Basic AI provides a rare window into a frontier area of Computer Science that will change everything about how you live and work. Read this book and better understand how to succeed in the AI-enabled future.
’Want to get up to speed with AI? This is the book for you. Filled with clear explanations, real-world examples and helpful chapter summaries, David Shrier takes us on a whistle-stop tour to the very heart of the future now. The author eloquently sets out the myriad of challenges but, ultimately, rightly, leaves us with confidence in our human selves or, as he puts it, “optimism tempered with caution”’ - Baron Holmes of Richmond, House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee
‘An indispensable and excellent book that should be a must-read for anyone who needs to get to grips with the AI revolution we are living in. David Shrier is an expert guide to what has happened, what is happening and what is likely to happen in future. His knowledge and experience make Shrier an ideal person to make the case for the vast opportunities that AI will bring to the world. A brilliant read that should become a contemporary classic – it leaves the reader not only better informed but better able to comprehend our future reality’ - Rt. Hon. Chris Skidmore, MP, former UK Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation
Introduction
Part I: AI Changes Everything
Rise of the bots and AI hallucinations
Defining AI: understanding terminology
Evolution of AI jobs displacement: how did we get here?
Part II: Playing Defence
Reskilling and developing cognitive flexibility
Future-proofing: what to study and which industries are safer?
What can Human+AI systems do? Adventures in collective intelligence and more
Part III: Centaurs and the Future of Humanity
Building Human+AI systems: from prompt engineering to high-performing teams
Alternative futures: Wall-E or Star Trek?
The urgent need for policy: shaping a better tomorrow
Conclusion