Artificial Intelligence has always been a term which intrigues people all over the world. Various organisations have coined their own versions of defining Artificial Intelligence. Some of them are mentioned below:
Niti Aayog: National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence
AI refers to the ability of machines to perform cognitive tasks like thinking, perceiving, learning, problem solving and decision making. Initially conceived as a technology that could mimic human intelligence, AI has evolved in ways that far exceed its original conception. With incredible advances made in data collection, processing and computation power, intelligent systems can now be deployed to take over a variety of tasks, enable connectivity and enhance productivity.
World Economic Forum
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the software engine that drives the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Its impact can already be seen in homes, businesses and political processes. In its embodied form of robots, it will soon be driving cars, stocking warehouses and caring for the young and elderly. It holds the promise of solving some of the most pressing issues facing society, but also presents challenges such as inscrutable “black box” algorithms, unethical use of data and potential job displacement. As rapid advances in machine learning (ML) increase the scope and scale of AI’s deployment across all aspects of daily life, and as the technology itself can learn and change on its own, multi-stakeholder collaboration is required to optimize accountability, transparency, privacy and impartiality to create trust.
European Artificial Intelligence (AI) leadership
The path for an integrated vision AI is not a well-defined technology and no universally agreed definition exists. It is rather a cover term for techniques associated with data analysis and pattern recognition. AI is not a new technology, having existed since the 1950s. While some markets, sectors and individual businesses are more advanced than others, AI is still at a relatively early stage of development, that the range of potential applications, and the quality of most existing applications, have ample margins left for further development and improvement.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
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.
In other words, AI may be defined as:
AI is a form of intelligence; a type of technology and a field of study. AI theory and development of computer systems (both machines and software) are able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. Artificial Intelligence covers a broad range of domains and applications and is expected to impact every field in the future. Overall, its core idea is building machines and algorithms which are capable of performing computational tasks that would otherwise require human like brain functions.
Some areas where AI can help in daily life:
- Personalized recommendations: AI can analyze your online behavior, search history, and purchase patterns to provide personalized recommendations for products, services, and content that you may be interested in.
- Smart home automation: AI-powered devices can control and manage various functions in your home, such as lighting, temperature, and security, making daily life more convenient and efficient.
- Healthcare: AI can help in healthcare by assisting doctors in diagnosing diseases, predicting treatment outcomes, and analyzing patient data to provide personalized treatment plans.
- Education: AI can be used in education to provide personalized learning experiences, analyze student performance data, and automate administrative tasks.
- Entertainment: AI can be used in the entertainment industry to create personalized recommendations for movies, music, and TV shows based on individual preferences.
- Transportation: AI can help in transportation by optimizing routes, predicting traffic patterns, and automating self-driving vehicles, making travel safer and more efficient.
- Customer service: AI-powered chatbots can assist customers in real-time, answering their queries, and providing support for various products and services.
- Finance: AI can help in finance by analyzing financial data, detecting fraudulent activities, and providing personalized investment advice.
- Agriculture: AI can be used in agriculture to optimize crop yields, predict weather patterns, and monitor soil conditions.
- Shopping: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can help shoppers find the products they need, answer their questions, and provide personalized recommendations.
To understand AI we draw an analogy from the three strands in a braid.
One is the Data strand,
the second is the Natural Language Processing strand and
the third strand is the Computer Vision.
They all together constitute the concept called Artificial Intelligence.
Data: This domain of AI is concerned with the collection, processing, analysis, and application of large amounts of data. Machine learning algorithms, which are a type of AI technology, are often used to analyze data and uncover patterns or insights that would be difficult or impossible for humans to discern. Some examples of AI applications in the data domain include predictive analytics, recommendation systems, and fraud detection.
Natural Language Processing (NLP): This domain of AI is concerned with developing algorithms and systems that can interpret and understand human language, both in written and spoken form. NLP technology is used in a variety of applications, such as language translation, sentiment analysis, and chatbots. NLP algorithms often use machine learning techniques to learn the structure and patterns of language and enable machines to understand and generate human language.
Computer Vision: This domain of AI focuses on the development of algorithms and systems that can interpret and understand visual data from the world around us. Computer vision technology is used in a variety of applications, including facial recognition, object detection, and autonomous vehicles. Computer vision algorithms often use deep learning techniques to train neural networks to recognize patterns in visual data.
Types of Artificial Intelligence
- Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
- Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
- Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)
Artificial narrow intelligence (ANI or narrow AI) refers to a computer’s ability to perform a single task extremely well, such as crawling a webpage or playing chess.
e.g. Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant that can perform a limited set of tasks such as answering questions, setting reminders, and playing music. Image recognition software used for facial recognition, object detection, and self-driving cars. Fraud detection algorithms used by financial institutions to identify and prevent fraudulent transactions.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) systems can perform any task that a human can. However, AGI systems can perform the task with greater efficacy than humans only for a particular/single function assigned to them, while they have zero capability to do any task which is not assigned to them.
AGI does not yet exist, but a hypothetical example of AGI could be a robot that can understand natural language, solve problems, learn from experience, reason abstractly, and adapt to new situations in a way that is comparable to human intelligence.
Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) is the hypothetical AI, i.e. we have not been able to achieve it but we know what will happen if we achieve it. So basically it is the imaginary AI that not only interprets or understands human behavior and intelligence, but ASI is where machines will become self-aware/self-vigilant enough to surpass the capacity of human intelligence and behavioral ability.
ASI is a hypothetical concept, and there are no current examples of ASI. However, one potential example could be an AI system that is capable of solving complex problems in a wide range of domains, including science, engineering, art, and philosophy, and can continuously self-improve to surpass human intelligence and capabilities.
What is Not Artificial Intelligence?
Any machine that has been trained with data and can make decisions/predictions on its own can be termed as AI. Here, the term ‘training’ is important.
Washing Machine
A fully automatic washing machine can work on its own, but it requires human intervention to select the parameters of washing and to do the necessary preparation for it to function correctly before each wash, which makes it an example of automation, not AI.
Air Conditioner
An air conditioner can be turned on and off remotely with the help of internet but still needs a human touch. This is an example of Internet of Things (IoT).
Also, every now and then we get to know about robots that might follow a path or maybe can avoid obstacles but need to be primed accordingly each time.
