Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Beings — Melanie Mitchell

In Inteligencia Artificial: guía para seres pensantes, computer scientist and complexity theorist Melanie Mitchell offers a systematic, clear-headed exploration of today’s artificial intelligence. The book traces the turbulent history of AI, from its early theoretical foundations to the recent surge of machine-learning breakthroughs. It examines the most advanced AI systems and machine-learning models, presenting their capabilities, limitations, and underlying algorithms — always separating hype from reality. Mitchell places current achievements in context by revisiting the original ambitions of AI researchers, showing how many early promises remain unmet. She analyzes why modern systems often excel in narrowly defined tasks yet struggle with general reasoning, abstraction, or robust understanding. Through accessible explanations, the book reveals a “disconnect between public expectations and actual progress.” 

Beyond technical descriptions, the author offers critical reflection on the social, ethical, and economic consequences of AI deployment. She asks fundamental questions: How “intelligent” are contemporary programs? What does it mean for an AI to truly “understand”? What are the potential risks if we over-estimate their capabilities? 

This book is designed for “thinking beings” — readers who want more than headlines and hype. It is suitable both for those with no prior technical knowledge and for professionals seeking a rigorous but accessible overview. By the end, readers will have a realistic, nuanced picture of current AI, its real strengths, its unresolved challenges, and the difficult questions it raises for the future.