- Paperback: 424 pages
- Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann (4 Oct 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1558607838
- ISBN-13: 978-1558607835
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 13.5 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
259,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22 in Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Algorithms > Machine Learning
- #27 in Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence > Machine Learning
- #57 in Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Algorithms > Artificial Intelligence
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Blondie 24: Playing at the Edge of Artificial Intelligence is the first book to bring together the most advanced work in the general use of evolutionary computation for creative results. It is well suited for the general computer science audience.
Here's the story of a computer that taught itself to play checkers far better than its creators ever could. Blondie24 uses a program that emulates the basic principles of Darwin evolution to discover on its own how to excel at the game. Through this entertaining story, the book provides the reader some of the history of AI and explores its future.
Unlike Deep Blue, the celebrated chess machine that beat Garry Kasparov, the former world champion chess player, this evolutionary program didn't have access to other games played by human grand masters, or databases of moves for the endgame. It created its own means for evaluating the patterns of pieces that it experienced by evolving artificial neural networks--mathematical models that loosely describe how a brain works.
As we remember Arthur C Clarke's prediction of the successful creation of machines that think like humans, David Fogel dramatically demonstrates how evolutionary computation may in fact bring us to our goal of creating a thinking machine far more quickly than traditional artificial intelligence has been able to do. Mark Pearson
Review
"Meet Blondie. She's a 24-year old graduate student in mathematics at the University of California at San Diego. She skis and surfs, and is an ace at math. But her real claim to fame is her amazing ability to play checkers. She's really good--not good enough to defeat a grand master, but she did earn a spot in the top 500 of an international checkers tournament. Considering that she taught herself how to play without reading books, taking classes, or getting tips from experienced players --that's impressive. And considering that Blondie is only a computer program, and the rest of her persona is just a product my imagination, you might say that's really impressive!"
—from the Introduction
—from the Introduction
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"I'm sorry, Frank, I think you missed it," said the computer HAL to Dr. Frank Poole, its human challenger seated at the chess table. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
"I'm sorry, Frank, I think you missed it," said the computer HAL to Dr. Frank Poole, its human challenger seated at the chess table. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent laymans' guide to a 'new' paradigm - I've bought two copies already (one given away).
Deep Blue beat Gary Kasparov but only after a multi-year effort involving special hardware and was a program that was specifically designed to play chess.
Blondie24 'evolved itself' using non-special hardware (Pentium 400MHz) and in a matter of months beats 99% of all human players - WITHOUT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT DRAUGHTS.
Part 1 of the book is an overview of the two philosophies of AI embedded in Deep Blue and Blondie24 respectively. The argument is well made that Hal2001 could never be programmed in a conventional fashion.
Part 2 is the story of Blondie's creation - if anything here the most impressive item is the author's enthusiasm which is contagious.
Three qualifications:
1) on a technical quibble front Blondie24 is actually a co-evolved board valuation function which can only play draughts as it is embedded in a conventionally programmed mini-maxing game playing program. However one can hardly quibble with an author who includes an appendix of criticisms of his contentions!
2) at a more fundamental level Blondie24 is not a learning program (as far as I can see it learns nothing from its games) but rather the output of a learning system. This may be an interesting area for future study as, having evolved a 'good solution' it seems a pity to then 'waste' its future experiences.
3) like most highly skilled people Fogel makes it look easier than it is. If, sucked in by enthusiasm, one is tempted to try for oneself such an approach one finds a great number of pitfalls - it ain't as easy as he makes it look :-)
Overall no hesitation in suggesting that you buy this book if you have a lively, wide-ranging mind. If you liked reading about any of Chaos, Complexity, ALife etc as new paradigms then you have to buy this one.
MRB
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In 1994, a computer program (called Chinook) won the world checkers (or draughts) championship, the first time a computer had held such a position. However, Chinook used lots of checkers knowledge to decide which move to make next.
This book, by Dr David Fogel, shows how a similar level of play can be achieved but without giving the computer any knowledge of the game. In order to do this, the computer program uses a neural network in order to learn how to play checkers, in much the same way that a human would. In fact, a neural network is the closest thing we have to modeling the human brain on a computer.
The program also uses Darwin's principles of natural evolution (survival of the fittest) to "evolve" the best neural network, in the same way that we have evolved over millions of years.
At the start of the training period the computer is unable to play good checkers (in fact it would play terribly) but after a lot of training (by playing games against itself) it can play at the level of an expert.
Apart from being a very interesting story, this book also explains the latest principles behind the artificial intelligence techniques that are used.
An excellent book and if you are wondering why the book is called Blondie 24, it's because this was the name given to the program in order to tempt young male players to compete against it over the internet!!
Format:Paperback
I read this book as I was interested in traditional games programming. I was surprised to find that Fogel had applied to draughts (checkers) a methodology I had been applying to reversi. If you are listening Fogel I think you could have pushed the evolution along much quicker by including a robust crossover regime in the evolutionary system. As you were including spacial knowledge components in your net design I think it could have supported it.
This is one of the most enjoyable and fascinating books I have read in a long time. I now have a project student using it as their prime reference for applying the same methodology to similar problems.
This is one of the most enjoyable and fascinating books I have read in a long time. I now have a project student using it as their prime reference for applying the same methodology to similar problems.
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