Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Russell and Norvigby Russell and Norvig
Shares rank 11 of 28 computer science textbooks by recommenders
Widely recommended as the foundational AI textbook, used across coursework and covering many algorithms. One critic calls its section on Dreyfus's critique misleading.
Widely recommended as the foundational AI textbook, used across coursework and covering many algorithms. One critic calls its section on Dreyfus's critique misleading.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Standard AI curriculum textbook
“A 20yr old "AI" curriculum would have looked more like the 3rd edition of Russel & Norvig's "Artificial Intelligence - A Modern Approach".”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “Neural Networks: Zero to Hero” “the book that is the foundation of much coursework and learning for people in AI”
Comment from 18 Jul 2026 in “Kaiser nurses say AI, workplace surveillance are making their jobs, care worse” Covers many algorithms in depth
“a seminal book discussing why and detailing many algorithms”
Comment from 1 Jan 2026 in “Observed Agent Sandbox Bypasses” Free Norvig video lecture course
“There is a free video lecture course by Norvig himself on Udacity do check them out.”
Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: What do you plan to read in 2026?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Dreyfus critique section misleading
“The whole section is misleading, obfuscating or tergiversing the critique from Dreyfus to fit the purpose”
Comment from 8 Jun 2026 in “"They're made out of weights"”
Other computer science textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other computer science textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programsby Abelson and Sussman | 55 | 5 | 92% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Art of Computer Programmingby Donald E. Knuth | 28 | 6 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programsby Abelson and Sussman | 12 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Quantum Computation and Quantum Informationby Nielsen and Chuang | 12 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approachby Russell and NorvigThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the book that is the foundation of much coursework and learning for people in AI”
“The whole section is misleading, obfuscating or tergiversing the critique from Dreyfus to fit the purpose”
“A 20yr old "AI" curriculum would have looked more like the 3rd edition of Russel & Norvig's "Artificial Intelligence - A Modern Approach".”
“There is a free video lecture course by Norvig himself on Udacity do check them out.”
“a seminal book discussing why and detailing many algorithms”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.