Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a type of computer technology that allows machines to do things that normally require human intelligence, such as learning, solving problems, and making decisions. It's the science of making computers and robots act and think like humans to help in various tasks, from recommending movies to assisting in medical diagnoses.
The applications for artificial intelligence are endless. It has been around for many years but has lately gained momentum as the uses become more everyday.
The simplest applications include things like Netflix and YouTube considering your viewing habits to make relevant recommendations. Other everyday examples include autocorrecting text, digital assistants, and chatbots.
More complex uses include AI in healthcare for suggesting drug dosages, identifying treatments, highlighting anomalies in scans and aiding in surgical procedures. In the finance industry it is used to detect and flag activity in banking such as unusual debit card usage and large account deposits – all of which help a bank's fraud department.
This article from Get Safe Online, gives a good overview to help demystify AI: www.getsafeonline.org/ai/.
Interesting Fact:
The first artificial intelligence programme is thought to be a draughts-playing computer built by Oxford University (UK) computer scientists in 1951.
Last update September 2023