Robots will one day be able to write poetry and prose so
touching that it will make men weep; compose symphonies that
rival the work of Mozart; judge a court case with absolute
impartiality and fairness; converse with the natural ease
of your best friend. Robots will one day be so life-like
that a human could fall in love and marry one. Thought
Provoking and controversial? Certainly. Farfetched? Not at
all. In this popular approach to understanding AI, David
Levy lays the factual foundations for his intriguing
speculations by presenting the history of AI from its
inception. He then consides recent advances and makes
preditions for the future of AI. David Levy has worked in
the field of AI since 1967, he is currently the CEO of
Intelligent Toys Ltd & has written over 40 books on AI and
chess computer games.
Industry Reviews
" "According to an artificial intelligence expert within years we could be finding robot romance..." -James Millar, The Sunday Post, February 2006 Unlimited: Life In A Virtual Age by David Levy (leader of the winning team of the Loebner Prize Competition in 1997) is a highly researched and historically impressive documentation devoted to the past fifty years of research and development in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. As an informative and superbly written study, Robots Unlimited offers readers an outstanding historical survey and a seminal reference to the many intricacies of an ever-escalating modern science in these specialized fields, as well as knowledgeable and intuitive predictions of what the future may bring for robotic and artificial intelligence breakthroughs. Very strongly recommended to all students of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and relevant technological advancements, Robots Unlimited gives its readers a complete and expert analysis and collection of such a popular and innovative science. -Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review, April 2006 Interview with David Levy about his new book, Robots Unlimited. -www.chessbase.com, February 2006 But maybe we shouldn't fear robots. We should have sex with and marry them. This possibility is welcomed in a new book called Robots Unlimited: Life in a Virtual Age by David Levy. True, the field of artificial intelligence is bedevilled with all kinds of irritating philosophical objections to Levy's predictions. Is there such a thing as an artificial intelligence? Is robot consciousness nonsense? Could robots really be said to think, feel, fall in love and love the kids? Yes, robots may be able to write passably Mozartian symphonies, perform splendid massages or make sexy chit-chat, but only humans can really appreciate any of them. -Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian, February 2006 "As a catalog of the most important results, thoughts, and predictions in this field, this book will be an entertaining read for anybody, as no prerequisites are assumed." -G. Trajkovski, CHOICE Magazine , June 2006 "In this popular approach to understanding AI, David Levy captures the essence, excitement, and potential of Artificial Intelligence." -Innovation Watch, May 2006 "There are interesting chapters on computers and religion, computers and emotions, computers and dreams, computers and sex, computers and ethics. There is a lot to think about in this book for both you and your computer." -Vairo Library Blog, November 2006"