Every engineer, professional, student, researcher, entrepreneur, policymaker, educator, business leader, technologist, and citizen should understand AI.

Amid the rapid growth of AI, there is a sense of excitement but also anxiety and uncertainty about the future. The threat of automation now feels more real than ever. Will machines replace us? Will software developers and other professionals still be in demand? Am I still needed? Are arts and sciences still worth pursuing? These are fundamental questions to which we need clear answers.

In this book, we show that fully autonomous machines are not possible. Machines won't replace us. Software developers and other professionals will always be needed. Arts and sciences are forever worth pursuing.

Addressing these questions requires a clear understanding of the method of neural networks. Without using mathematics, this book will teach you, in the most direct, rigorous, and lucid way, how neural networks work and how they can be applied. You will grasp the concepts of weights, architecture, memory, training, testing, and pattern detection. You will also gain strong intuition and insight into how neural networks are used in image classification, autonomous vehicles, Go programs, and large language models. The discussion will equip you with a solid foundation to explore deeper questions surrounding AI, including:

• Why hallucinations in large language models can never be fully eliminated.
• Why software developers and many other professionals will always be needed.
• The fundamental unreliability and limited autonomy of AI systems.
• Why AGI is not possible.

With the right understanding, we can navigate the future together with clarity and confidence. We hope to empower you with knowledge and offer you hope and optimism.