| Introduction | | | | created by a man-made source. It functions exactly as |
| This series of articles is focused generally around the | | | | we would expect light to function, and from a |
| topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We will start by looking | | | | physicists point of view it simply 'is' light. When we |
| at what AI is, and cover the various ways in which it | | | | refer to 'artificial grass' however, we use the word |
| can be implemented and applied using computers and | | | | artificial to mean something subtly different. Artificial |
| modern technology in further articles. | | | | grass is not grass. It is not a plant, it is not made of the |
| Part 1 - An Introduction | | | | same material as the plant, and it does not share all |
| Artificial intelligence is a very broad field, and far from | | | | the properties of real grass. It does however perform |
| being isolated to computing it encompasses many | | | | the main functions of grass adequately, and may often |
| other disciplines such as philosophy, neuroscience and | | | | fool people into believing that grass is present. |
| psychology. It is important to note though, that rather | | | | The term intelligence is also open to interpretation, and |
| than just seeking to understand intelligence, AI | | | | so we end up with some very different definitions of |
| practitioners seek also to build or create it. The uses | | | | what AI actually is. The definitions we come up with |
| and applications of AI are many and varied, and | | | | however tend to fall into a one of two categories - |
| although many think of humanoid robots when we | | | | they are either focused on the process used to |
| discuss AI, you may be surprised to know that we | | | | achieve the goal, or on behavior. For example, Luger |
| already encounter applied AI in our day-to-day lives. | | | | & Stubblefield define AI as 'The branch of |
| AI is full of big questions - how does an entity (either | | | | computer science that is concerned with the |
| biological or mechanical) think? How does it understand | | | | automation of intelligent behavior' Whereas Winston |
| or solve a problem? Can a machine truly be intelligent? | | | | defines it as 'The study of the computations that make |
| What is intelligence? The answer to these questions | | | | it possible to perceive reason and act'. |
| may not be easy, but there is an answer staring us in | | | | We also must consider how we measure success, |
| the mirror so we know the quest to find out is | | | | and again there are a couple of common standards. |
| achievable. | | | | We tend to either assess our system when |
| Through this series of articles I will be exploring the | | | | compared to human performance, or against an ideal |
| many different approaches, sub-fields, applications and | | | | concept of intelligence often referred to in the field as |
| questions that we encounter when exploring this vast | | | | 'rationality'. A system is rational if it makes the correct |
| and exciting field of research. | | | | decisions. |
| Part 2 - What is AI? | | | | Broadly speaking we end up with four acceptable |
| Firstly I would like to say that the term Artificial | | | | goals in producing AI - systems that think like humans, |
| Intelligence (AI) means different things to different | | | | systems that act like humans, systems that think |
| people. In fact even the words we use to describe the | | | | rationally, and systems that act rationally. In the next |
| topic are ambiguous. The term artificial can have subtly | | | | part of the series we will start to examine each in |
| different meaning; consider what we mean when we | | | | more detail. |
| refer to 'artificial light'. This is real light, that has been | | | | |