Artificial Intelligence- Introduction

There is an immense aura build around the word AI and machine learning. People are really fascinated by this term, as its now being used rapidly around the world, in every field or context possible.

But, as the popularity increases, people are still not clear about what exactly Artificial Intelligence means, and how does it impact out lives so much.

So, let me break down AI in the simplest words and examples for you.

In this article, I will be explaining what is AI. And in the upcoming articles we will learn more about AI, machine learning and how it impacts our lives and how it can change the way the world operates in future.

Imagine you touch a stove and it’s hot and your hand burns. Two days later, you are in front of another stove. Would you touch the stove without thinking? Or would you remember how you burned your hand and try to figure out if the stove is hot before you touch it?

Not touching the stove, the second time is an example of human intelligence, which we display. Remembering your hand was burned the first time is not intelligence. But, the ability to gain and apply prior experience as knowledge and then acquire skills to make decision based on that memory is Intelligence.

We have been using computers for more than half a century now. Computers are systems which are defined by rules. You give the machine a set of rules and ask them to perform a task and it will. But anything outside the set rules, the traditional computer is not capable to provide a solution.

So, what differentiates traditional computers and AI!

AI can be defined as a computer program which is capable of performing a task which requires intelligence. This task is usually something which a human or an intelligent animal can accomplish, such as learning, planning, decision making, problem-solving, etc.

From the above example, the traditional computer can only give us facts like the stove is hot, or hands had burnt last time. But whether to touch the stove again or not, or how much near can you go without burning yourself, that needs intelligence. And that decision-making is what differentiates a computer and AI.

Let’s see another example.

It may be easy for humans to know the difference between cats and dogs but the same task is difficult for the computers. For computers to differentiate between the two, we would have to set rules, which here becomes really difficult. If we only consider the physical appearance as the differentiator between the two, and set rules accordingly, it won’t be definitive.

But then comes AI.

With some examples and experiences, AI, just like humans can differentiate between a dog and a cat.

The same way, even when you are not tagged in a photo, and a friend uploads a group photo which includes you, you get a recommendation that it might include you.

And that is Artificial Intelligence for you.

The ability for a machine or a system to make decisions, based on inputs, experiences and examples, which are above& beyond a given set of yes/no rules, just like humans do, is Artificial Intelligence.

In the future articles we will explore more about AI, which is a universe on its own.

Let’s dive right in and enjoy the journey.