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CHOICE Review

A valuable addition to any college library. Yazdani has succeeded in bringing together a coherent yet diverse collection of essays on artificial intelligence (AI), each written by a noted scholar in the field. By employing 14 experts in various areas, the editor has been able to maintain a high level of enthusiasm and expertise on each topic. The articles are divided into 5 sections: principles, tools and techniques, applications, frontiers, and implications. The first section introduces the very difficult problem of defining the subject of AI, asking whether we should apply heuristics or algorithms. Tools and techniques gives an excellent introduction to PROLOG, LISP, and POPLOG. The largest section deals with applications-fundamental problems in natural language processing, computer speech synthesis and recognition, computer vision, robotics, and expert systems. The treatment involves specific problems, not merely a broad, general description. It provides an excellent introduction to the types of problems now being studied by experts in the field of artificial intelligence. The last section briefly discusses the social impact of intelligent systems, pointing out the profound ambiguity of the implications of such systems. The strengths of this book are in its variety and clear exposition. It will be a starting point for many, and with its extensive commentated bibliography, it should be a resource for even those familiar with the field.-R.L. Pour, Emory and Henry College