rlugojr / ai-resources

List of the best resources to learn the foundations of Artificial Intelligence

This is a list of the best resources about AI that I could find on the web. It will be the most useful for beginners, people who want to learn this field, but don't know where to start.

I have developed a strategy for myself, for learning the basics of AI in the fastest and most practical way, and I'm sure it will be useful to you as well.

Here's the list of the best resources to begin learning AI with:

General overview of the field, most important topics:

• Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach (AIMA)
  http://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Intelligence-Modern-Approach-Edition/dp/0136042597
  This is the best book about AI, and one of the best books written on any topic. Ever. It may be challenging for a complete beginner, but it covers most of the topics and fields of AI, and if you will read it - you will have a very solid foundations of the field. This is definitely a best place to start.

• Artificial Intelligence course on edx:
  https://www.edx.org/course/uc-berkeleyx/uc-berkeleyx-cs188-1x-artificial-579#.U8ar941dV3s
  More lectures: https://www.youtube.com/user/CS188Spring2013
  This is an excellent course from Berkeley, series of video lectures, a lot of them are based on AIMA, it is a perfect complement to the book, it will make it much more understandable and enjoyable to read. Plus there's great practical projects.

Lisp - best programming language for AI:

Of all the programming languages you can choose to practice AI there are 2 best options: Lisp and Python. Lisp was created specifically for creating AI, and it is widely considered to be the most elegant and brilliant programming language ever. Here's the best way to learn it:

• Land of Lisp(lisp plus some AI):
  http://www.amazon.com/Land-Lisp-Learn-Program-Game/dp/1593272812/
  This is an excellent and very fun introduction to lisp, makes learning very enjoyable, understandable, and includes a lot of algorithms and basic principles that will be very useful when you will be going throuhg AIMA.
• MIT course based on SICP book:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Op3QLzMgSY&list=PLE18841CABEA24090#t=253
  This is a course on lisp and basics of computer science, based on one of the most influential and seminal books in CS - "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs".
• Paul Graaham ANSI Common Lisp
  http://www.amazon.com/ANSI-Common-LISP-Paul-Graham/dp/0133708756

Machine Learning.:

Machine learning is the most "practical" and immediately useful subfield of AI, which is great because focusing on learning it will allow you immediately benefit from, and apply your knowledge on practical projects.

• Andrew Ng:
  https://www.coursera.org/course/ml

• Pedro Domingos:
  https://www.coursera.org/course/machlearning

• Programming Collective Intelligence
  http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Building-Applications/dp/0596529325

How mind works:

On the opposite end of a spectrum - here's some fantastic(and very entertaining) books about how human mind works. It is not necessary very practical, but they are very exciting and fun to read, and obviously understanding of human brain can be very useful. At the very least - you will be inspired and enjoy reading them a lot.

• Jeff Hawkins - On Intelligence
  http://www.amazon.com/On-Intelligence-Jeff-Hawkins/dp/0805078533
  Audio: http://www.audible.com/pd/Science-Technology/On-Intelligence-Audiobook/B002V8LKTE

• Ray Kurzweil - How to Create a Mind:
  http://www.amazon.com/How-Create-Mind-Thought-Revealed/dp/0143124048/
  Audio: http://www.audible.com/pd/Science-Technology/How-to-Create-a-Mind-Audiobook/B009S7OKJS/

• Principles of Neural Science
  http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Neural-Science-Edition-Kandel/dp/0071390111 This is the best book I could find that goes in depth into NS. 2 books above presented the general theories how mind works, this one talks about hardcore science, neuro-anatomy and such. Very interesting, but also very long - I'm still reading it.