Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, is currently one of the hottest topics in today’s technological world. A common misconception regarding AI, though, is that artificial intelligence means robots taking over humanity. The truth is that AI technologies are all already around us, and used on a daily basis.

To better understand the term, Artificial Intelligence “leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of human kind,” according to IBM. Artificial intelligence can be found in many places, including on navigation apps like Google Maps, ridesharing apps such as Uber, facial recognition on smartphones, and media recommendations from Netflix or Spotify, etc.

AI has come a long way from its origins to what we see today. It has changed and developed from an idea, into something that makes human life easier and less time-consuming. Indeed, AI can now collect and analyze large amounts of data and complete risky activities with accuracy, among many other tasks.

One of the pioneers of artificial intelligence was Alan Turing in the mid-20th century. Turing and several other computer scientists created algorithms and software to carry out tasks that would normally need human intelligence to complete. These machines would have to be tested to prove their capabilities, and the concept was named the “Turing Test.”

In 1956, the Dartmouth Conference took place, which officially gave birth to the field of AI after John McCarthy, a math professor, gathered a group of scientists and researchers to learn and further study the topic. In his proposal, he explained “every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to stimulate it.”

A few years later in the 1960s and 1970s, AI researchers turned their focus to developing algorithms and systems to mirror the decision-making capabilities of humankind in specific industries. It is understood that the new methods and systems were mainly focused on finance, medicine, and engineering.

During that time, AI was a success but it also experienced a few setbacks. Ultimately, computers were not yet powerful enough to bring that type of technology to life. In the 1980s, AI researchers shifted their focus once again to machine learning, a technology that allows computers to learn from data using statistical methods.

Further developments in robotics, computer vision and natural language processing were made possible in the 1990s, while there were advances in speech and image recognition in the early 2000s. These developments were successful due to the arrival of deep learning.

AI technology is developing very quickly as the modern-day uses vary from virtual assistants to self-driving cars, financial analysis, medical diagnostics, and many more. Machines have now been developed to understand and respond like humans, such as ChatGPT or voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.

The role of artificial intelligence is very likely to become extremely important in the future. AI is expected to have a major effect on some of the biggest challenges in today’s world like cybersecurity, climate change, and healthcare. As it continues to develop, AI will certainly have a great impact on how we work, communicate, learn and make decisions.

Sources: cointelegraph.com, www.aiplusinfo.com, www.ibm.com, home.dartmouth.edu