Exegesis - Softcover

Teller, Astro

Softcover

ISBN 10: 037570051X ISBN 13: 9780375700514

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997

Synopsis

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Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 14:27:39 (PST)
From: edgar@cyprus.stanford.edu
To: Alice@cs.stanford.edu
Subject: Hello
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Hello, Alice.

      

About this title

Review

In Exegesis, Astro Teller deals with the issues of emerging machine intelligence without the usual simplifications and moral generalizations. It's the story of an artificial intelligence researcher and her creation, a program named Edgar, who develops self-awareness and must come to terms with its own existence. Through their e-mail--their only means of interaction--we watch them deal with the ramifications of Edgar's development, which includes the government's desire to capture Edgar and our cultural fear of Frankenstein's monster. Yet, while Exegesis draws upon the Frankenstein mythos, as well as the myth of Pygmalion, this isn't the story of science creating a monster. Instead, it's an exploration of what it means to be aware, of how humanity may interact with other forms of intelligence, of scientists' responsibilities to both the world and to their creations, and humanity's responsibilities in return. We do not see the scientist playing God so much as endeavoring to be a good parent. That parenting comes complete with all the hopes, fears, and uncertainties involved with bringing something precious and new into the world, and guiding it to an unknown and largely uncontrollable independence. Edgar, unlike such intelligent computer characters as HAL, Colossus, or Mycroft, is a fully realized, well-defined protagonist--familiar due to its human programming, yet alien in its mode of perception and thinking. Although it's impossible not to view this as a cautionary tale against a day when we will truly have to face the issue of self-aware machines, it is also a touching love story and pulse-quickening thriller--a complex story told very simply.

About the Author

Astro Teller is a scientist, entrepreneur, and the author of Exegesis and Sacred Cows. He holds a PhD in artificial intelligence from Carnegie-Mellon University. Additionally, he completed degrees in computer science as well as symbolic and heuristic computation from Stanford University. He has also cofounded many businesses and programs geared toward developing computer science, such as Cerebellum Capital, Inc.; BodyMedia, Inc.; and Sandbox Advanced Development. He is currently the CEO of X, a division of Alphabet bringing innovative technological ideas to reality.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 037570051X
• ISBN 13: 9780375700514
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240