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Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

January 4, 2023
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the technologies that completely changed the 21st century. Imagine waking up and going to work in a car that drives itself. Your daily commute, which usually takes an hour, is reduced to 45 minutes by a map updating around according to real-time road conditions.

You finish up work and get home, and the thermostat automatically adjusts to the optimum temperature. All these are real-time examples of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications available in the market today.

Using Artificial Intelligence or AI, we can enable computers to think by themselves and conduct tasks that generally need human intelligence.

Here, we will be discussing what is AI, applications of AI, subsets of AI, AI learning courses, types of AI, the future of AI and more. So read this article till the end. It will help you a lot.

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

In the year 1956, John McCarthy used the term AI Artificial Intelligence for the first time. Artificial Intelligence or AI is the ability of a computer to perform human-like tasks and replicate human thinking and behaviour. It refers to intelligent systems that can recognize objects, solve problems and perform other actions that humans can. In simple words, AI is a technique of getting machines to work and behave like humans.

Stages of AI

There are three stages of Artificial Intelligence which are as follows:

  1. Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) Artificial Narrow Intelligence which is also known as weak AI is designed to perform artificial intelligence only to a specific task. There are various existing systems that claim to use artificial intelligence, which is working as a weak AI focused on a narrowly defined typical problem. Siri is the perfect instance of narrow intelligence. It completed the specific tasks within a fixed predefined range of functions.
  2. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Artificial General Intelligence or AGI is the concept of a machine with general intelligence that mimics human intelligence or behaviours with the ability to learn and apply intelligence and complete any intellectual work that a human can. It is known as the strong AI.
  3. Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) Artificial Super Intelligence is a theoretical AI that not just simulates or understands human intelligence and behaviour. It is seen in the depicted movies and books where machines will surpass humans and take over the entire world.

Types of AI

On the basis of the functionality of AI base systems, Artificial Intelligence can be categorised into four types.

Reactive Machine Artificial Intelligence

Reactive Machines AI includes machines that perform only based on the current data and situation. As the term Reactive implies, it is only able to perceive and react using its intelligence. A Reactive machine is unable to store a memory.

Consequently, Reactive AI Machines cannot create assumptions from past experiences to consider any future activities. Reactive AI Machines are designed to perform a limited range of predefined duties. They only perform the same way to the same stimulants every time. Therefore, these types of machines are reliable and trustworthy.

In the 1990s, A Reactive AI Machine named Deep Blue was built by the famous IBM as a chess-playing supercomputer, that defeated the world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. It is one of the best examples of AI machine builds so far.

Reactive AI is good for simple classification and pattern recognition tasks. Deep Blue was only able to identify the chessboard, the current position of each piece, the rules of chess, and which would be the best move at that moment.

Reactive AI Machines can provide reliability and are great for a situation where repeatable tasks are needed. It can defeat humans because it has the ability to calculate much faster.

Limited Memory

Limited Memory AI is able to store past data because they have memory that makes it possible. Limited Memory uses or looks into the historical data, and predicts what may come next. It can handle complex classification tasks and provides greater possibilities than Reactive AI Machines.

To create this type of AI, a team continuously works on a model and trains it on how to analyze the historical data or operate new data. Also, an AI environment is built to train the models automatically so that they can use the data to inform future decisions.

Limited Memory AI is capable of performing complex tasks. The decision-making functions in self-driving cars like Tesla are designed in this way which can make future decisions. Limited AI is still vulnerable to outliers or adversarial examples. Limited Memory Artificial Intelligence is the current state of AI, and some even say we have hit a wall.

Theory of Mind

Theory of Mind refers to the term psychology. In the language of Artificial Intelligence, it means that the machines would be able to understand human motives and reasoning. After that, they would feel and use that information to make decisions by themselves.

It can deliver a personal experience to everyone based on their motives and needs. Theory of Mind Artificial Intelligence would be capable to assume human preferences and predict behaviour. It is the mandatory talent for Artificial Intelligence machines to become vital partners of human groups.

It would be capable to learn with fewer instances because it understands reasons and human needs. However, the scientific capabilities are not achieved yet that are mandatory for reaching the level of Theory of Mind Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is assumed as the upcoming milestone for Artificial Intelligence's evolution.

Self Aware

This will be the final stage of the AI. This type of AI has human-level consciousness and understands its own presence in the world, moreover, as the presence and emotional state of others. This is the human-level intelligence that can even bypass our intelligence too. It does not exist yet.

Applications of AI

  1. AI Applications in Automoblies We have driverless automobiles. A mixture of information can be used to operate the vehicle, such as the vehicle's camera, GPS, cloud services, radar, and control signals. AI offers driver assistance. AI can be used to improve the in-vehicle experience as well. Systems like emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and drive assist steering are used.
  1. AI applications in E-commerce With AI, you contain a suggestion engine via which you can engage adequately with your buyers. These recommendations are made by taking into consideration their usage history, preferences and interests. AI-powered assistants like virtual shopping assistants chatbots help improve the user experience while shopping online. AI can also recognise credit card usage patterns and decrease the chances of credit card fraud.
  1. AI in Robotics AI-enabled robots will be able to manoeuvre through their path of travel with real-time updates. It is used to avoid unnecessary breakdowns and the associated cost of major issues.
  2. AI in HR Companies use software to ease the hiring procedure. AI helps with blind hiring. Software that uses machine learning can be used to sort via applications based on selected parameters. It can be used to examine job candidate's profiles and resumes
  3. AI in Healthcare AI-based audit systems can prevent prescription errors and ensure the disease is properly identified. Some popular users are jvion, Wellframe and Enlitic. AI can be used with advanced medical imagining to examine and transform images.

Future of AI

With the rate at which Artificial Intelligence is integrating into lives, there's a little question what is the future of AI? Experts anticipate that by 2030, technical AI applications will be more famous and helpful benefiting our economy and quality of life.

According to a Harvard University report, the following eight areas of human activity are already affecting urban life and will become even more pervasive by 2030. Transportation, home, service robots, healthcare, education, entertainment, low resource communities, public safety, security, employment, and the workplace will be fully AI-enabled spaces.

The thought of a machine speaking and acting like a person may seem fresh now, but in 10 years, people may take it for granted. Consumers and businesses will collaborate with AI, and the distinction between engaging with humans and computer programs as bots may become obfuscated.