WHAT IS AI?

I get many email inquiries about what artificial intelligence is all about. This is a first attempt at answering them on a layman's level or beginning student's level. There are html, dvi, pdf and Postscript versions of some questions and answers.

Very likely I haven't done justice to some approaches to AI and some fields of AI, but I am open to suggestions for improvement. In particular, I would like suggestions for links.

My own web page contains my own articles on AI and also a link to some pages on the sustainability of material progress.

I welcome comments, and you can send them to .

John McCarthy, Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University.