Artificial intelligence

"AI" redirects here. For other uses, see AI (disambiguation), Artificial intelligence (disambiguation), and Intelligent agent.

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Artificial intelligence
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Artificial intelligence (AI), in its broadest sense, is intelligence exhibited by machines, particularly computer systems. It is a field of research in computer science that develops and studies methods and software that enable machines to perceive their environment and use learning and intelligence to take actions that maximize their chances of achieving defined goals.[1] Such machines may be called AIs.

Some high-profile applications of AI include advanced web search engines (e.g., Google Search); recommendation systems (used by YouTube, Amazon, and Netflix); interacting via human speech (e.g., Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa); autonomous vehicles (e.g., Waymo); generative and creative tools (e.g., ChatGPT, and AI art); and superhuman play and analysis in strategy games (e.g., chess and Go). However, many AI applications are not perceived as AI: "A lot of cutting edge AI has filtered into general applications, often without being called AI because once something becomes useful enough and common enough it's not labeled AI anymore."[2][3]

The various subfields of AI research are centered around particular goals and the use of particular tools. The traditional goals of AI research include reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, learning, natural language processing, perception, and support for robotics.[a] General intelligence—the ability to complete any task performable by a human on an at least equal level—is among the field's long-term goals.[4] To reach these goals, AI researchers have adapted and integrated a wide range of techniques, including search and mathematical optimization, formal logic, artificial neural networks, and methods based on statistics, operations research, and economics.[b] AI also draws upon psychology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience, and other fields.[5]

Artificial intelligence was founded as an academic discipline in 1956,[6] and the field went through multiple cycles of optimism,[7][8] followed by periods of disappointment and loss of funding, known as AI winter.[9][10] Funding and interest vastly increased after 2012 when deep learning outperformed previous AI techniques.[11] This growth accelerated further after 2017 with the transformer architecture,[12] and by the early 2020s hundreds of billions of dollars were being invested in AI (known as the "AI boom"). The widespread use of AI in the 21st century exposed several unintended consequences and harms in the present and raised concerns about its risks and long-term effects in the future, prompting discussions about regulatory policies to ensure the safety and benefits of the technology.

  1. ^ Russell & Norvig (2021), pp. 1–4.
  2. ^ AI set to exceed human brain power Archived 2008-02-19 at the Wayback Machine CNN.com (July 26, 2006)
  3. ^ Kaplan, Andreas; Haenlein, Michael (2019). "Siri, Siri, in my hand: Who's the fairest in the land? On the interpretations, illustrations, and implications of artificial intelligence". Business Horizons. 62: 15–25. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2018.08.004. ISSN 0007-6813. S2CID 158433736.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Artificial general intelligence was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Russell & Norvig (2021, §1.2).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dartmouth workshop was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Succ1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fund01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference First AI Winter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Second AI Winter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Deep learning revolution was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Toews (2023).


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