The Definition of Artificial Intelligence
In the words of John McCarthy, artificial intelligence is “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.”
Artificial intelligence is the ability of computer and robots to perform tasks that are commonly done by intelligent beings. It’s the branch of computer science that seeks to replicate or simulate human intelligence in machines.
This expanding use of artificial intelligence in everyday living has kept many experts rigorously wanting to learn more.
At its simplest definition, artificial intelligence is all about enabling machines to come up with its own solutions to solve problems. Machines are programmed to react in multiple ways depending on their function. They contain algorithms that seeks to create expert systems in making predictions and classifications based on the input data.
The reality of artificial intelligence today.
Today, there is a big trend going on about AI development. We have reached a point in time where every new technology is always presumed to be backed with an advanced feature that no other previous versions of it are able to do. It’s always either something is improved or something new has surfaced in its features.
As Gartner discusses, product innovations like self-driving cars follow “a typical progression of innovation, from overenthusiasm, through a period of disillusionment to an eventual understanding of the innovation’s relevance or role in a market or domain.”
What is a period of disillusionment?
This basically means that AI development has constantly left scientists hungry for innovation and ideas while also adding the same amount of skepticism in the mixture. Thinking about the possible repercussions of each technologies’ ideation will always be a part of the equation.
The thought of inventing self-driving cars was an amazing idea then, but the prematurity of AI development before has led scientists thinking it's ‘unsafe’ and ‘impossible’. This must be their ‘period of disillusionment’. Now, added into the breed of cars are self-driving Teslas capable of running on autopilot. They have finally understood the relevance of the innovation in the market and how useful and better it would be the more that AI develops.
Ethics vs. Artificial Intelligence
Ethics and AI are two different sets of words that were very unlikely related and yet have now been commonly pitted against. As conversations emerge around the ethics of AI, humanity is gradually beginning to trudge through this period of disillusionment.
Conclusion
While debates around AI and machines taking over jobs in the future are one of the most significant ethical considerations humanity is facing right now, it seems that we still continue to thrive, develop, and adapt despite so. Who knows, having flying cars is a fancy idea, but it’s currently in its ‘period of disillusionment’. In our current AI, this looks ‘unsafe’ and ‘impossible’ at first glance, and this will likely go on in the next few decades or so. In a few hundred years, maybe our AI will be developed enough to take on this idea as an innovation worthy of understanding. In the right time, they will become relevant, and its role will be worthy enough to be a part of the market.