- One of DeepMind's senior researchers revealed their landmark book on AI is now free to read online.
- Prof Murray Shanahan's book was a key influence on Hollywood sci-fi hit 'Ex Machina'.
- 'Embodiment and the Inner Life' offers a deep dive into the philosophical implications of AI.
A senior expert in artificial intelligence at DeepMind has made his 2010 book on the subject — a key influence on hit sci-fi movie "Ex Machina" — free to read online.
Originally published in 2010, Professor Murray Shanahan's "Embodiment and the Inner Life" offers readers a philosophical deep dive into the practicalities of creating artificially intelligent beings.
Speaking to I, Science, the magazine at Imperial College London, where Prof Shanahan teaches, said he was asked to work on the movie after director Alex Garland read his book.
"When Alex first contacted me, he already had his complete script, but it was influenced to some extent by a book I wrote called 'Embodiment and the Inner Life,' which he read whilst he was writing," he said.
In "Ex Machina", Domhnall Gleeson stars as a skilled computer coder who wins the chance to spend a week with the reclusive CEO of the company he works for, played by Oscar Isaac. What Gleeson's character doesn't know is that he's taking part in a pioneering, albeit deeply unethical, AI experiment.
"The way he put it was that his ideas 'crystallized' after he read it. So he asked to meet up, he gave me the script wanting to know whether it hung together for somebody working in the field. And it did!"
Speaking about how he came to the field in the first place, Shanahan previously told Insider: "I've been interested in AI since I was a kid, really. I was very much drawn into science fiction and really, science fiction is what got me into the field."
On Monday, he tweeted: "I'm very happy to announce that the full text of my 2010 book "Embodiment and the Inner Life" is now freely available."
"Embodiment and the Inner Life" can be read online here.
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