What Is Artificial Intelligence? | Artificial Intelligence (AI) In 10 Minutes | Edureka

Artificial intelligence, coined by John McCarthy in 1956 at the Dartmouth conference, is defined as the science of creating intelligent machines. It aims to replicate human-like behavior in technology. While AI has advanced significantly across fields like healthcare, its potential risks spark debate; Elon Musk warns it poses a fundamental threat to humanity's existence.

Understanding Artificial Intelligence and Its Subfields Artificial intelligence (AI) is deeply integrated into daily life, often unnoticed in applications like Google search or personalized Facebook feeds. AI encompasses machine learning (ML), which enables machines to make decisions using data, and deep learning (DL), a subset of ML that employs neural networks for complex problem-solving. While interconnected, these fields differ: AI mimics human behavior broadly; ML focuses on decision-making through algorithms; DL specializes in solving intricate tasks with advanced models. Beyond ML and DL, AI spans areas such as natural language processing, robotics, computer vision, and expert systems.

The Evolutionary Stages of Artificial Intelligence AI evolves across three stages: artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), artificial general intelligence (AGI), and artificial superintelligence (ASI). ANI—or weak AI—handles specific tasks without genuine self-awareness or broad capabilities; examples include Alexa's voice functions or Tesla’s autopilot feature. Current advancements largely reside within this stage while AGI aims for broader cognitive abilities akin to humans' adaptability across various domains.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), also known as strong AI, refers to machines capable of performing any intellectual task a human can. Unlike current artificial narrow intelligence systems, AGI would require the ability to think and reason like humans—capabilities that remain unattainable despite advanced computational power. Experts are divided on whether achieving AGI is possible or even desirable due to potential risks. Stephen Hawking warned about its dangers, suggesting it could evolve independently at an uncontrollable pace.

Artificial superintelligence refers to a future scenario where computer capabilities surpass human intelligence. While currently hypothetical and often depicted in science fiction, experts like Elon Musk predict its emergence by 2040. This advanced AI could potentially outpace biological evolution, fundamentally altering the world.

Artificial intelligence has transformed the finance sector, with applications spanning all market domains. JP Morgan's "Contract Intelligence" platform exemplifies this by leveraging AI, machine learning, and image recognition to analyze legal documents efficiently. This technology extracts critical data points and clauses within seconds, replacing manual review processes that previously required extensive time for tasks like reviewing 12,000 agreements.

Artificial intelligence has significantly impacted healthcare by performing tasks in seconds that traditionally cost over $36,000. IBM Watson is a leading AI technology used by more than 230 healthcare organizations globally. In 2016, it demonstrated its capability to revolutionize medicine by cross-referencing 20 million oncology records and accurately diagnosing a rare condition.

Google's AI Eye Doctor is collaborating with an Indian eye care chain to create a system that analyzes retina scans for diabetic retinopathy, a blindness-causing condition. On social media platforms like Facebook, AI employs machine learning and deep learning to verify faces by detecting features and tagging friends. Twitter uses similar technologies combined with natural language processing to identify hate speech or terroristic content in tweets, leading them to ban 300,000 accounts linked to terrorism—95% detected through their automated systems.

Google's predictive search exemplifies artificial intelligence in action. It suggests recommendations as users begin typing, leveraging data like location, age, and personal details to tailor results. This functionality showcases how AI processes user-specific information to enhance the search experience.

Virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Cortana exemplify artificial intelligence by assisting users with various tasks. The newly introduced Google Duplex has amazed millions due to its advanced capabilities. Beyond responding to calls and booking appointments on behalf of the user, it adds a groundbreaking level of interaction that feels natural.

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized self-driving cars by integrating computer vision, image detection, and deep learning to enable vehicles to detect objects and navigate autonomously. Tesla is at the forefront of this innovation with its autopilot features; Elon Musk predicts fully autonomous cars will be ready soon, including Robo taxis that operate without drivers. AI’s rapid evolution since the 1950s spans machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing among others—raising questions about whether it might dominate human life within thirty years.