Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn. AI research aims to create systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human cognition, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision‑making, and language translation. The field draws on computer science, mathematics, psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience.
AI systems are often classified into narrow AI, which is designed for specific tasks (e.g., facial recognition or recommender systems), and artificial general intelligence (AGI), a hypothetical future system that could perform any intellectual task a human can. Most current applications are narrow AI, including virtual assistants, autonomous vehicles, and machine learning models.
History
The concept of artificial intelligence dates back to antiquity, with myths of mechanical beings. Modern AI began in the 1950s when Alan Turing proposed the Turing test as a measure of machine intelligence. The term artificial intelligence was coined at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956. Early work focused on symbolic reasoning and problem solving, leading to the first AI programs.
Progress slowed during the "AI winters" of the 1970s and late 1980s, when funding and expectations waned. The rise of machine learning in the 1990s, driven by increased data and computing power, revived the field. Breakthroughs in deep learning after 2010, notably in image recognition and natural language processing, led to widespread commercial adoption.
Modern AI is integrated into many industries, from healthcare (diagnosis) to entertainment (recommendation algorithms). Ethical concerns, including bias, job displacement, and safety, are active areas of debate and alignment research.