*Edited by Stanislaw P. Stawicki*

Human history is filled with inventions and other innovations that resulted in a significant and lasting change in our civilization's course of development. From gasoline-powered vehicles to transistor-based electronics or jet airplanes, things we now take for granted often appeared suddenly and unexpectedly. Yet after their introduction, our world changed forever. Over the past two decades, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been stealthily increasing their presence in our everyday lives. This "randomly systematic" adoption process is exposing humanity to something we never previously directly faced: an intelligence that may (and likely will) exceed our own. Despite this, most people are not fully aware of current (and future) benefits, limitations, and threats related to AI/ML. Within health care, there is little awareness of what AI/ML is capable of and how these new capabilities are being implemented or utilized. It is this current state that serves as our "starting point" in the emerging debate on AI/ML in medicine and surgery, including its integration, projected influence, and many other considerations that are not that different from other past technology adoption paradigms. This book discusses both current trends and future developments in AI and ML across health care.
