Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence
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artificial intelligence
Alternate titles: AI
By B.J. Copeland • Edit History
Top Questions
What is artificial intelligence?
Are artificial intelligence and machine learning the same?
What is the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society?
Summary
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artificial intelligence (AI), the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, or learn from past experience. Since the development of the digital computer in the 1940s, it has been demonstrated that computers can be programmed to carry out very complex tasks—as, for example, discovering proofs for mathematical theorems or playing chess—with great proficiency. Still, despite continuing advances in computer processing speed and memory capacity, there are as yet no programs that can match human flexibility over wider domains or in tasks requiring much everyday knowledge. On the other hand, some programs have attained the performance levels of human experts and professionals in performing certain specific tasks, so that artificial intelligence in this limited sense is found in applications as diverse as medical diagnosis, computer search engines, and voice or handwriting recognition.

Alan Turing
Alan Turing
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Key People: Marvin Minsky Edward Albert Feigenbaum Allen Newell John McCarthy Alan Turing
Related Topics: computational aesthetics neural network artificial intelligence programming language expert system genetic algorithm
What is intelligence?
All but the simplest human behaviour is ascribed to intelligence, while even the most complicated insect behaviour is never taken as an indication of intelligence. What is the difference? Consider the behaviour of the digger wasp, Sphex ichneumoneus. When the female wasp returns to her burrow with food, she first deposits it on the threshold, checks for intruders inside her burrow, and only then, if the coast is clear, carries her food inside. The real nature of the wasp’s instinctual behaviour is revealed if the food is moved a few inches away from the entrance to her burrow while she is inside: on emerging, she will repeat the whole procedure as often as the food is displaced. Intelligence—conspicuously absent in the case of Sphex—must include the ability to adapt to new circumstances.

John McCarthy (September 4, 1927 – October 24, 2011) was an American computer scientist and cognitive scientist. McCarthy was one of the founders of the discipline of artificial intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind.
Artificial Intelligence
What it is and why it matters
Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. Most AI examples that you hear about today – from chess-playing computers to self-driving cars – rely heavily on deep learning and natural language processing. Using these technologies, computers can be trained to accomplish specific tasks by processing large amounts of data and recognizing patterns in the data.

Artificial Intelligence trends to watch
Quick, watch this video to hear AI experts and data science pros weigh in on AI trends for the next decade.

What is the role of ethics in the future of AI? How important is big data? Why is domain knowledge crucial for the success of AI?

Most importantly: “It really is who has the data. That’s who will be the king,” says Harper Reid, Technology Pioneer.