Giant Brains; Or, Machines that Think

Book excerpt: "Giant Brains" explores and explains the new calculating machines which have been developed by various laboratories, the principles involved, their reliability, and their functions and limitations. These machines can calculate, remember, reason, store, select, and handle information and so are of great value in science and industry. Mr. Berkeley, a mathematician, worked during the war on the development of these machines, and envisions myriad uses for them in the future. He also grapples with the possible social impact of employing such machines, a question more commonly addressed in fiction. While the scientifically initiated will derive the greatest pleasure from this book, it is addressed to the interested general reader.