1 Intuition of artificial intelligence
This chapter covers
- Definition of AI as we know it
- Intuition of concepts that are applicable to AI
- Problem types in computer science and AI, and their properties
- Overview of the AI algorithms discussed in this book
- Real-world uses for AI
What is artificial intelligence?
Intelligence is a mystery—a concept that has no agreed-upon definition. Philosophers, psychologists, scientists, and engineers all have different opinions about what it is and how it emerges. We see intelligence in nature around us, such as groups of living creatures working together, and we see intelligence in the way that humans think and behave. In general, things that are autonomous yet adaptive are considered to be intelligent. Autonomous means that something does not need to be provided constant instructions; and adaptive means that it can change its behavior as the environment or problem space changes. When we look at living organisms and machines, we see that the core element for operation is data. Visuals that we see are data; sounds that we hear are data; measurements of the things around us are data. We consume data, process it all, and make decisions based on it; so a fundamental understanding of the concepts surrounding data is important for understanding artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.