Introduction to man and machines

Abstract

This chapter introduces this book, Artificial Intelligence and Economic Theory: Skynet in the market, and in the process studies some of the big ideas that have concerned economics and finance in the last 300 years. These ideas include Marxist thinking, the theory of invisible hand, the theory of equilibrium and the theory of comparative advantage. It, furthermore, describes methods in artificial intelligence such as learning, optimization and swarm intelligence. It sets a scene on how these theories can be better understood by using artificial intelligence techniques, thereby, setting a scene for the rest of the book.