Preface

Notice the cover of this book. Simple. Straightforward. No hyperbole about the extinction of humankind. No outrageous claims about massive human unemployment. Just a simple cover with a simple title to reflect the simple concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Here is the simple truth about AI: AI will do exactly what you train it to do. Yes, AI can continuously learn and adapt with minimal human intervention, which scares people. However, the actions AI takes will be guided 100% by the user-defined outcomes and the measures against which outcome effectiveness will be measured. And all of these are 100% defined by you.

To design, develop, and manage AI effectively, adopting a holistic approach is paramount, and it calls for the active participation of everyone. The objective of this book is to simplify the discussion around AI and equip everyone with the knowledge to ensure AI is working for our benefit. By empowering everyone as Citizens of Data Science and fostering fundamental AI and data literacy, we can encourage active engagement that ensures AI’s benefits are accessible to all.

I hope you enjoy reading and learning from the book as much as I did researching, testing, learning, relearning, and writing it. I hope you enjoy your AI and data literacy journey of becoming a Citizen of Data Science!