Artificial Intelligence: What Is It Good for?
Artificial Intelligence: What Is It Good For?
Katrina L Schultz
INF 103
Aaron Richardson
01/14/2013
The science of artificial intelligence, often abbreviated to A.I., is an exciting and dynamic field that’s rife with potentially unlimited applications. It is something that is already becoming part of our everyday lives, and will likely only become more and more common as the field continues to advance.
What, exactly, is artificial intelligence, though? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2013) defines A.I. as:
1: a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers
2: the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.
In other words, artificial intelligence is “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs” (McCartney, Basic Questions). It also involves “various kinds of knowledge representation schemes, different techniques of intelligent search, various methods for resolving uncertainty of data and knowledge and different schemes for automated machine learning” (Rios, para. 13). Though it may still seem like a futuristic science, artificial intelligence is already being used in multiple aspects of our day to day life. Meteorologists use A.I. to help predict the weather, financial institutions use it to protect consumer finances by monitoring spending patterns and flagging anomalies or even automatically suspending the use of a credit card when fraud is suspected, and doctors use artificial intelligence to aid them in the detection and prevention of diseases. It is also used to handle dull tasks around the home, such as to control robotic vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers and window cleaners (Turner, 2010). Some manufacturers employ artificial intelligence to monitor combustion patterns and modify their manufacturing process to minimize pollution, or to recognize and capture dangerous chemicals before they can be expelled in to the
Katrina L Schultz
INF 103
Aaron Richardson
01/14/2013
The science of artificial intelligence, often abbreviated to A.I., is an exciting and dynamic field that’s rife with potentially unlimited applications. It is something that is already becoming part of our everyday lives, and will likely only become more and more common as the field continues to advance.
What, exactly, is artificial intelligence, though? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2013) defines A.I. as:
1: a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers
2: the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.
In other words, artificial intelligence is “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs” (McCartney, Basic Questions). It also involves “various kinds of knowledge representation schemes, different techniques of intelligent search, various methods for resolving uncertainty of data and knowledge and different schemes for automated machine learning” (Rios, para. 13). Though it may still seem like a futuristic science, artificial intelligence is already being used in multiple aspects of our day to day life. Meteorologists use A.I. to help predict the weather, financial institutions use it to protect consumer finances by monitoring spending patterns and flagging anomalies or even automatically suspending the use of a credit card when fraud is suspected, and doctors use artificial intelligence to aid them in the detection and prevention of diseases. It is also used to handle dull tasks around the home, such as to control robotic vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers and window cleaners (Turner, 2010). Some manufacturers employ artificial intelligence to monitor combustion patterns and modify their manufacturing process to minimize pollution, or to recognize and capture dangerous chemicals before they can be expelled in to the
References: Artificial intelligence - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2013, January 1). In Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artificial%20intelligence Berglas, A. (2012, January). Singularity: Artificial Intelligence Will Kill Our Grandchildren.Berglas. Retrieved from http://berglas.org/Articles/AIKillGrandchildren/AIKillGrandchildren.html Bostrom, N. (2003). Ethical Issues In Advanced Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from http://www.nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html Honan, D. (2011, August 21). The Grand Frontier of Artificial Intelligence | Top Five | Big Think. Big Think | Blogs, Articles and Videos from the World 's Top Thinkers and Leaders. Retrieved from http://bigthink.com/big-think-top-5/the-grand-frontier-of-artificial-intelligence McCarthy, J. (2007, November 12). WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? Retrieved from http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/whatisai/ Rios, D. (2007). Artificial Intelligence. ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS - A neural network tutorial. Retrieved from http://www.learnartificialneuralnetworks.com/ai.html Turner, B. (2010, December 13). 10 Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Affect Our Lives : Discovery Channel. Discovery Channel : Science, History, Space, Tech, Sharks, News! : Discovery Channel. Retrieved from http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/ways-artificial-intelligence-will-affect-our-lives.htm