I had the good fortune to review Hala Nelson‘s forthcoming book, Essential Math for AI. If you are looking for a rigorous yet entertaining intro to the topic, you’ll have to check it out! My advance praise follows:
Texts on artificial intelligence are usually either technical manuscripts written by experts, for other experts, or cursory, math-free introductions catered to general audiences. This book takes a refreshing third path by introducing the mathematical foundations for readers in business, data, and similar fields without advanced mathematics degrees.
The author weaves elegant equations and pithy observations throughout, all the while asking the reader to consider the very serious implications artificial intelligence has on society. I recommend Essential Math to AI to anyone looking for a rigorous treatment of AI fundamentals viewed through a practical lens.
You can view some of the other reviews here:
I took this review on with a bit of trepidation, as math was not always my best subject in school. But as I’ve discussed before in my post on getting started with technical reviews, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t be a helpful reviewer. In fact, it made me like a real reader rather than a fellow expert, which often leads to better feedback anyway.
So don’t be afraid to dive into a new book, even as a reviewer! And be sure to check out this one too.
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