- Artificial intelligence, or AI,
refers to software algorithms
that attempt to mimic human intelligence.
AI applications are now embedded in almost all aspects
of economic, social, and personal life,
helping banks detect fraud, managing mutual funds,
developing lifesaving medical diagnostics,
enabling you to take better photos with your smartphone,
helping you find a better romantic partner,
or even personalizing counseling.
Early efforts at developing AI
focused largely on feeding highly codified,
rule-based knowledge to computers
and then trying to have them mimic human decision-making.
This approach was called symbolic AI.
For example, researchers would interview doctors,
try to codify the rules of their decision-making,
and then develop expert systems
embedded with that codified knowledge.
This approach was not only time consuming
but also started reaching a plateau
because it became evident
that human decision-making rules could be codified
to only a limited extent.
Over the last decade,
computer scientists have been tackling the AI problem
in a fundamentally different and far more promising way,
an approach called machine learning.
How do toddlers learn to walk?
Certainly not by first learning physics and biology.
Rather, they learn via trial and error.
They observe adults walking.
Eager to mimic, they try something and fall down.
They see what works and what doesn't.
Learning from this ground level data, they try again,
perhaps a bit differently.
Eventually, they figured it out.
Could machines be programmed to learn similarly?
Machine learning is the dominant paradigm
in AI today, giving enough data.
When machines learn on their own,
they can get smarter very rapidly.
In fact, they can even learn to make good decisions
in areas where humans may not have
any codified know-how at all.
AI's impact on society is undeniable,
with applications ranging from personalized recommendations
on streaming devices to autonomous vehicles
to new product development.
However, along with these remarkable achievements
come concerns about ethical issues
such as privacy, fairness, transparency, and accountability.
The development of AI must be guided
by a strong ethical framework
to ensure that the technology is used
for the benefit of humanity
and to prevent potential misuse or unintended consequences.