In this post, we’ll unpack all you need to know about artificial intelligence, defining exactly what it is, how it works, the difference between strong AI and weak AI and more.
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines designed to think and also learn like humans.
AI is human intelligence exhibited by machines.
Strong Versus Weak AI
There are two main types of AI; strong AI and weak AI.
Strong AI, also known as General AI or Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), refers to AI systems that are designed to perform any human intellectual task. An example of strong AI is the fictional AI HAL 9000 from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Weak AI, also known as Narrow AI or Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), refers to AI systems that are designed to perform a specific task. An example of weak AI is a virtual assistant.
How Do AI Systems Work?
AI systems work via pattern recognition by combining large amounts of data with intelligent algorithms — a series of instructions — which thus allow the software to identify and learn from patterns.
AI systems learn through neural nets. Neural nets are a set of interconnected nodes that simulate the way the human brain processes information.
Connections that generate a right answer are rewarded and therefore made stronger. Connections that generate a wrong answer are punished and therefore made weaker.
LLM’s are a time capsule of humanity.
AI Use Cases
AI’s applications improve efficiency, accuracy and decision-making across many sectors. Therefore, it can be leveraged in different industries in the following ways.
- Agriculture: For crop monitoring, yield prediction and precision farming.
- Education: For personalised learning, grading automation and administrative tasks.
- Finance: For fraud detection, algorithmic trading and customer service automation.
- Healthcare: For diagnostics, personalised medicine and managing patient data.
- Manufacturing: For predictive maintenance, quality control and optimising production processes.
- Retail: For inventory management, personalised marketing and customer experience enhancement.
- Transportation: For autonomous vehicles, route optimisation and supply chain management.
Summary (TL;DR)
Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence in machines designed to think and also learn.
There are two types of AI. Firstly, strong AI which refers to AI systems that are designed to perform any human intellectual task. Secondly, weak AI which refers to AI systems that are designed to perform a specific task.
AI systems work through pattern recognition. They combine vasts amounts of data with intelligent algorithms which thus allow the software to identify and learn from patterns.
