Professionals are challenged each day by a changing landscape of technology and terminology. In recent history, especially the last 25 years there has been an explosion of terms and methods born that automate and improve decision-making and operations. One term called Analytics is an overarching description of a compilation of methodologies. But, AI (Artificial Intelligence), statistics, decision science, optimization which have been around for decades has resurged. Also, things like business intelligence, On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP) and many, many more have been born or reborn. How is someone to make sense of all this methodology, terminology?

This book, the first in a series of three, provides a look at the foundations of artificial intelligence and analytics and why readers need an unbiased understanding of the subject. The authors include the basics such as algorithms, mental concepts, models, and paradigms in addition to the benefits of machine learning. The book also includes a chapter on data and the various forms of data. The authors wrap up this book with a look at next frontiers such as applications and designing your environment for success, which segue into the topics of the next two books in the series.

专业人士每天都面临着技术和术语的变化带来的挑战。在最近的历史上，特别是在过去的25年里，诞生了大量的术语和方法，使决策和操作自动化和改善。有一个术语叫分析，是对各种方法汇编的总体描述。但是，已经存在了几十年的AI（人工智能）、统计学、决策科学、优化等又重新出现了。此外，像商业智能、在线分析处理（OLAP）和很多很多的东西也已经诞生或重生。有人如何理解所有这些方法论、术语呢？

本书是三个系列中的第一本，介绍了人工智能和分析学的基础，以及为什么读者需要对这个主题有一个公正的理解。作者除了介绍机器学习的好处外，还包括算法、心理概念、模型和范式等基础知识。本书还包括一个关于数据和各种形式的数据的章节。作者在本书的结尾处对下一个前沿领域进行了展望，如应用和设计你的环境以获得成功，这与该系列中的下两本书的主题相衔接。