"Flame Tree Publishing continues to publish excellent fiction with their Gothic Fantasy series of anthologies offering themed compendiums of both classic and modern fiction. By doing so, the series lets readers note similarity, differences and trends of subgenres over time." - Kirkus The promise and the threat of technology, of humankind replaced by its own mechanical creation has long enticed the SF and fantasy imagination. This fabulous mix of new and established writing brings together the top talents of today with classic and essential authors, including L. Frank Baum, Ambrose Bierce, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Jerome K. Jerome and more. New, contemporary and notable writers featured are: Roan Clay, George Cotronis, Deborah L. Davitt, Jeff Deck, Christopher M. Geeson, Bruce Golden, Rob Hartzell, Nathaniel Hosford, Rachael K. Jones, Rich Larson, Monte Lin, Trixie Nisbet, Chloie Piveral, David Sklar, Claire Allegra Sorrenson, Sara L. Uckelman, Holly Lyn Walrath, Nemma Wollenfang, and Eleanor R. Wood.

Six classic science fiction stories and commentary that illustrate and explain key algorithms or principles of artificial intelligence. This book presents six classic science fiction stories and commentary that illustrate and explain key algorithms or principles of artificial intelligence. Even though all the stories were originally published before 1973, they help readers grapple with two questions that stir debate even today: how are intelligent robots programmed? and what are the limits of autonomous robots? The stories—by Isaac Asimov, Vernor Vinge, Brian Aldiss, and Philip K. Dick—cover telepresence, behavior-based robotics, deliberation, testing, human-robot interaction, the “uncanny valley,” natural language understanding, machine learning, and ethics. Each story is preceded by an introductory note, “As You Read the Story,” and followed by a discussion of its implications, “After You Have Read the Story.” Together with the commentary, the stories offer a nontechnical introduction to robotics. The stories can also be considered as a set of—admittedly fanciful—case studies to be read in conjunction with more serious study. Contents “Stranger in Paradise” by Isaac Asimov, 1973 “Runaround” by Isaac Asimov, 1942 “Long Shot” by Vernor Vinge, 1972 “Catch That Rabbit” by Isaac Asimov, 1944 “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss, 1969 “Second Variety” by Philip K. Dick, 1953

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a complicated science that combines philosophy, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, mathematics and logic (logicism), economics, computer science, computability, and software. Meanwhile, robotics is an engineering field that compliments AI. There can be situations where AI can function without a robot (e.g., Turing Test) and robotics without AI (e.g., teleoperation), but in many cases, each technology requires each other to exhibit a complete system: having "smart" robots and AI being able to control its interactions (i.e., effectors) with its environment. This book provides a complete history of computing, AI, and robotics from its early development to state‐of‐the‐art technology, providing a roadmap of these complicated and constantly evolving subjects. Divided into two volumes covering the progress of symbolic logic and the explosion in learning/deep learning in natural language and perception, this first volume investigates the coming together of AI (the mind) and robotics (the body), and discusses the state of AI today. Key Features: Provides a complete overview of the topic of AI, starting with philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and logicism, and extending to the action of the robots and AI needed for a futuristic society Provides a holistic view of AI, and touches on all the misconceptions and tangents to the technologies through taking a systematic approach Provides a glossary of terms, list of notable people, and extensive references Provides the interconnections and history of the progress of technology for over 100 years as both the hardware (Moore’s Law, GPUs) and software, i.e., generative AI, have advanced Intended as a complete reference, this book is useful to undergraduate and postgraduate students of computing, as well as the general reader. It can also be used as a textbook by course convenors. If you only had one book on AI and robotics, this set would be the first reference to acquire and learn about the theory and practice.

As computers are increasingly embedded into our everyday environments, the objects therein become augmented with sensors, processing and communication capabilities and novel interfaces. The capability for objects to perceive the environment, store and process data, pursue goals, reason about their intentions and coordinate actions in a holistic manner gives rise to the so-called Intelligent Environment (IE). In such environments, real space becomes augmented with digital content, thus transcending the limits of nature and of human perception. The result is a pervasive transparent infrastructure capable of recognizing, responding and adapting to individuals in a seamless and unobtrusive way. The realization of Intelligent Environments requires the convergence of different disciplines such as information and computer science, building architecture, material engineering, artificial intelligence, sociology, art and design. The 5th International Conference on Intelligent Environments (IE’09), held at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain, provides a multidisciplinary forum for researchers and engineers from across the world to present their latest research and to discuss future directions in the area of Intelligent Environments. The IE’09 proceedings contain the complete conference program including full papers presented at special sessions and short papers from the doctoral colloquium and poster session. In addition, three thought provoking invited lectures on topics of current and future IE research are included.

Seit 2014 erscheinen die Bände der renommierten Wiener Reihe bei De Gruyter. Das äußere Layout der Bände wurde modernisiert, inhaltlich und personell jedoch ist das Profil der seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten erscheinenden Buchreihe von Kontinuität geprägt. Die Bände sind jeweils einer aktuellen philosophischen Fragestellung gewidmet. Eine internationale Autorenschaft und die Veröffentlichung fremdsprachiger Beiträge sind Elemente des Programms. Die Reihe will dazu beitragen, dogmatische Abgrenzungen zwischen philosophischen Schulen und Traditionen abzubauen.

Curated new collections. Mary Shelley, whose Frankenstein is the foundation of modern SF, fantasy and horror fiction, was born to the writer William Godwin and social campaigner Mary Wollstonecraft. This new, special collection brings together extracts of her novels and short stories, with an emphasis on the supernatural.

The influence of AI is beginning to filter into every aspect of life, spanning across education, healthcare, business, and more. However, as its prevalence grows, challenges must be addressed including AI replication and even exacerbation of human bias and discrimination and the development of policies and laws that appropriately regulate AI. Stakeholders from all sectors of society need to collaborate on co-designing innovative, agile frameworks for governing AI that allow for its continued adoption while minimizing risk and reducing disruption. Understanding the Role of Artificial Intelligence and Its Future Social Impact is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the application of AI within contemporary society and comprehends the future effects of this technology within modern civilization. While highlighting topics such as cognitive computing, ethical issues, and robotics, this publication explores the possible consequences of AI adoption as well as its disruption within industries and emerging markets. This book is ideally designed for researchers, developers, strategists, managers, practitioners, executives, analysts, scientists, policymakers, academicians, and students seeking current research on the future of AI and its influence on the global culture and society.

A potent pantheon of gods, heroes engaged in epic battles, fearsome mythical creatures and supernatural transformations – such fantastical elements infuse Greek myths with a wonder and excitement that’s hard to beat. These tales of love, courage, conflict and intrigue, shared for thousands of years, still exercise a powerful influence on our modern lives.

Apocalyptic AI, the hope that we might one day upload our minds into machines or cyberspace and live forever, is a surprisingly wide-spread and influential idea, affecting everything from the world view of online gamers to government research funding and philosophical thought. In Apocalyptic AI, Robert Geraci offers the first serious account of this "cyber-theology" and the people who promote it. Drawing on interviews with roboticists and AI researchers and with devotees of the online game Second Life, among others, Geraci illuminates the ideas of such advocates of Apocalyptic AI as Hans Moravec and Ray Kurzweil. He reveals that the rhetoric of Apocalyptic AI is strikingly similar to that of the apocalyptic traditions of Judaism and Christianity. In both systems, the believer is trapped in a dualistic universe and expects a resolution in which he or she will be translated to a transcendent new world and live forever in a glorified new body. Equally important, Geraci shows how this worldview shapes our culture. Apocalyptic AI has become a powerful force in modern culture. In this superb volume, he shines a light on this belief system, revealing what it is and how it is changing society.

Media/Society: Technology, Industries, Content, and Users helps students understand the relationship between media and society and gets them to think critically about recent media developments.