This multi-volume work investigates the foundational principles, methodologies, and historical development of artificial intelligence as a formal academic discipline. Authors Avron Barr and Edward A. Feigenbaum, both prominent researchers in the field, synthesize decades of research to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of AI. The text serves as a structured reference for practitioners and students, organizing complex computational theories into a coherent framework for understanding machine intelligence.

Experts recognize this work as a foundational reference that codified the early development of the field. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which remains a standard for understanding the roots of symbolic artificial intelligence.