Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-252) and index.

The refugee -- The candlestick maker -- The reverend and the submarine -- Amazing grace -- The genius at The Royal Mint -- The lady with the lamp -- The Yankee clipper.

Two statistics professors describe how intelligent machines are changing the world and use stories, rather than equations, to explain the mathematical language they use and provide a better grasp on concepts in data and probability.

"Two leading data scientists offer an up-close and user-friendly look at artificial intelligence: what it is, how it works, where it came from, and how to harness its power for a better world. A revolution of intelligent machines, from self-driving cars to smart digital assistants, is now remaking our world, just as the Industrial Revolution remade the world of the nineteenth century. Doctors use AI to diagnose and treat cancer. Banks use it to detect fraud. Power companies use it to save energy. Scientists use it to make new discoveries. AI is not some science fiction droid from the future. It's right here, right now, and it's changing our lives at lightning-fast speed. Many of these changes offer great promise, Including freedom from drudgery, safer workplaces, better health care, and fewer language barriers. But others elicit worry--whether about jobs, data privacy, or the prospect of machines making biased decisions with no accountability. In AIQ, authors Nick Polson and James Scott, both experts in the field, show us how to make sense of these accelerating trends. This book is based on a simple premise: if you want to understand the modern world, then you must learn a bit about how these intelligent machines really work. AIQ will teach you the mathematical language of AI--but in a friendly and approachable manner anchored in storytelling rather than equations. Along the way, you will meet a fascinating cast of historical characters who have a lot to say about data, probability, and better thinking--and whose tried-and-true ideas are powering the AI revolution as they play out in the modern age of big data. Finally, AIQ explains how these technologies can help you to overcome some of your own built-in cognitive weaknesses, giving you a chance to lead a life of greater happiness, efficiency, and fulfillment."--Dust jacket.

From smart phones to self-driving cars, we all interact with intelligent machines that are constantly learning from the wealth of data now available to them. Polson and Scott believe that, if you want to understand the modern world, then you have to know a little bit of the mathematical language spoken by intelligent machines. They introduce readers to a cast of historical characters who have a lot to teach you about data, probability, and better thinking, and show how these same ideas are playing out in the modern age of big data and intelligent machines. -- adapted from jacket.