AI: The Beginning of a New Era

I’m sure AI has been a commonly heard term in recent years. But what exactly is AI? Artifiicial Intelligence (AI) is the development of computer systems that perform human tasks. To put that in simpler terms, it means to create a machine that can function and perform tasks like a human in minimal time. These tasks can include, but aren’t limited to visual perception, speech recognition, decision making, and translation of languages.

Right now, there are two levels to AI: Weak and Strong AI.

Currently, all forms of artificial intelligence is considered weak. This form of AI is only programmed to do specific functions. Chat bots, for example, are only programmed to answer specific questions. They are unable to adapt to situations like humans can. On the other hand, strong AI can perform any task that a human can. It can learn to adapt to new situations and even develop emotions. Scary, right? Well, luckily this is a theoretical concept and has not been achieved. Yet.

At times, we wonder how AI works. How is it able to achieve so much all by itself? Well, for an AI model to perform any function or task, it first needs to have some basic knowledge about the subject, known as data. After being fed data, the model learns to read it and analyze certain patterns. The entire process of a machine being able to collect, analyze and predict using data is known as Machine Learning. In really simple terms, the process is something as follows:

Collecting Data - For a machine to do anything, it first needs some data. Which is why collecting data is the first step in the machine learning process. For instance, to create a machine that can predict whether it’s going to rain or not, you need to give it statistics such as humidity, temperature, previous rainfall, etc.

Preparing Data - After the data has been collected, you check for unwanted, corrupted, and missing values. If something inaccuracy is found, it should be fixed before it's fed to the machine to ensure a smooth process.

Choosing a Model - There's different models for a variety of different issues. To ensure that you get the result you want for your problem, it’s important to have the right algorithm and model.

Train the Machine - This is one of the most crucial steps in which data is fed to the machine so that it starts to evaluate and find patterns in the data.

Evaluating - This is one of the most exciting parts, in which the machine is tested on accuracy to see how it’s performing. For instance, the rain prediction machine would be tested on how accurately it predicted chances of rain.

Optimizing - Once the machine has been evaluated, it’s important to check for mistakes and fix them. This is done by tuning variables and making sure that data isn't corrupted or inaccurate.

Predictions - The final stage. At this point, the machine has been optimized to achieve maximum accuracy and can now make predictions with efficiency.

Future:

With the power of AI now at our fingertips, there's a lot that we can do. In fact, there isn't much that we can't do. When you think about it, AI is everywhere around us. Graphics, marketing, architecture, fashion, and finance are only few of the examples of where AI is being used. It is a revolutionary tool for humans and will almost certainly grow exponentially in the coming years.

Sources:

International Organization for Standardization. “What Is AI? All You Need to Know about Artificial Intelligence.” ISO, 2024, www.iso.org/artificial-intelligence/what-is-ai.

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Nelson, Adam. “Innovative Teaching and Learning Center: Artificial Intelligence Introduction: Staff Resource: Weak vs. Strong.” Itlc.northwoodtech.edu, itlc.northwoodtech.edu/ai/introduction/staff/wvs.