In this timely and accessible guide, Nigel Toon draws on decades of pioneering experience in artificial intelligence to lead the reader through how AI systems are built, how they learn to learn, how they understand language, vision, and context—and how humans must understand and shape this powerful technology. He shines a light on both the unprecedented opportunities AI presents in fields such as healthcare, creativity, and science, as well as the crucial questions of control, ethics and the impact on society as a whole