He's a Ph.D. student in artificial intelligence who sees the future every day. So immersed is he in cutting-edge high technology (from an enviable perch), that his imagination is charged with the profound and mercurial changes of our time.
Perhaps inevitably, he has written the immensely readable techno-thriller EXEGESIS, containing within its pages a thoughtful philosophical and even religious text which explores the deepest hopes and fears of our generation and the next.
And as if Astro weren't already programmed to explore the place where high technology meets everyday culture...he is the grandson of the scientist Edward Teller, whose invention, the hydrogen bomb, has been a catalyst for soul-searching for entire generations. Astro draws on a legacy of technological discovery that is so rare and so fascinating that you won't be able to stop yourself--explore how his mind works. Learn from his legacy.
If we need a tour guide into the next century (and we do), Astro may well be the one--he can tell us about so much, from the practical applications of smart new computers, to how technology will change our views of art, morality, and personal responsibility.
The problems and issues surrounding artificial intelligence aren't just for scientists anymore. They affect everyone: How do we define life? Intelligence? If a computer can "think," can it also feel?
The age of true artificial intelligence is at last upon us.
Ask yourself: Is your soul in mint condition? : )
Do you have a question for Astro? If so send it to us at vintageanchor@randomhouse.com
Do you want to find out more about AI? Astro has picked out some related links for you.
-- Don Knuth
"All computers are created equal."
-- Unknown
ASTRO TELLER was born in Cambridge, England and raised in Evanston, Illinois. He received his B.S. and M.S. in computer science from Stanford University, and is now a doctoral candidate at Carnegie-Mellon University, where he specializes in artificial intelligence. As an artificial intelligence researcher, Astro has written several book chapters, journal articles, and conference papers on his field of expertise, machine learning. He has also worked as a teacher, algorithmic consultant, and senior engineer at Stanford University, Phoenix Laser Technologies, and Carnegie Group Inc., respectively.
Astro's paternal grandfather, Edward Teller, is generally regarded as the father of the H-bomb. His maternal grandfather, Gerard Debreu, received the Nobel Prize for Economics. Astro's mother is a hypnotherapist and his father, a philosopher of quantum mechanics.
Astro is married and lives in Pittsburgh. His recent computer-based art installation, "Jedermann," which explores the emotional potential of computer technology, just completed a successful run at the Hewlett Gallery there. Exegesis is his first book.