What is Artificial Intelligence?

Before we introduce generative AI (GenAI), it is worthwhile taking a moment to consider traditional AI. AI has a long history. Scroll through the timeline below to explore a selection of the key advances in AI. Click on the image in the top right-hand corner to view Fullscreen.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the theory and development of computer systems capable of performing tasks that normally required human intelligence, such as interpreting language, recognizing patterns from large amounts of data, and making decisions. Some of the names given to AI, based on the way in which it is designed and what it can do, include neural networks, natural language processing, computer vision, speech recognition, machine learning, and deep learning.

While we tend to think of it as a product of the 21st century, it has been around since the middle of the 20th century. Chances are good that you interact with AI every day. Examples of AI include:

• Asking your Smartphone to unlock your phone by recognizing your face;
• Navigating to your destination using apps like Google Map or Waze to find the quickest route;
• Getting more posts in your social media feeds that match those with which you previously interacted (that you liked or commented on);
• Getting a notification from your bank that there has been unusual activity in your account;
• Obtaining a recommendation from an online store (or music or video streaming platform) based on your previous purchases;
• Interacting with a customer service chatbot;
• Feeding your text through a grammar software that suggests better ways to write your text;
• Using Google Translate to translate text from one language into another;
• Using a voice-to-text app on a smartphone;
• Using a personal assistant like Siri, Alex, or Cortana.

Professor Mike Wooldridge (Professor of AI, Oxford University) describes the question “‘What is artificial intelligence?’ as a phenomenally difficult one”. He tries to answer the question in the following short video:

Attribution: Adapted from Generative Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning Copyright © 2023 by Centre for Faculty Development and Teaching Innovation, Centennial College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License