Question

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Answer 1

Re-read chapter 1 of AIMA

Answer 2

is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it :)

Answer 3

I like to ask folks questions from that chapter.... english/philosophy professors like making kids write topics on them.

Answer 4

My favorite "practical" AI subject is machine learning. I have personally been involved with many technology products that used machine learning. I am not myself a machine learning scientist. But, that field is vastly useful and has immense practical applications.

Answer 5

I guess that's where the 'Intelligence' part of AIs really shine: How would people train a machine to play some human game, read, or operate vehicles? Turns out ML approaches are some of the most effective.

Answer 6

well for games... if it's a computer game the AI can easily cheat... but I meant games in real-life settings such as chess... or maybe a computer posing as a human playing a computer game with no cheats :-D

Answer 7

On this site for example, can you apply machine learning techniques to "weed" out homework cheaters vs. really curious learners? I believe it is possible. In fact, simple heuristics can get the platform there to a large extent.

Answer 8

@GT: Nice idea

Answer 9

but then the site would be empty , because I'm sure people only use this site for HW help :-D hahaha

But yeah, simple ideas like those can lead to a powerful application of AI>

Answer 10

Hahahahahaha....that is why I am working on something that does not attract bottom feeders. :-)

Answer 11

What do I do if someone tells me that they do not believe in AI, or if they say that 'computers cannot take over human thinking'?

Answer 12

Well, humans cannot consume the volume of data and make any coherent decisions. So, computers and learning algorithms are essential (and only option).

Answer 13

I guess computers really are great decision makers.

Answer 14

In my past company, just one customer was producing 500,000 pieces of information each second. How the heck can a human make any sense ever?

Answer 15

Some machines and computer just aparent AI, but they are just following an algorithm made by a human.

Answer 16

"What do I do if someone tells me that they do not believe in AI, or if they say that 'computers cannot take over human thinking'?"
If they have a notion of AI at all, it's a much stronger and narrower one that the one we're discussing here. I think the last chapter of "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" comes back to discuss some of the strong claims.

Answer 17

@JamesJ - what do you do?

Answer 18

Sure, the algorithms are all created by persons, but in the case of machine-learning the computer learns how to act on data, and applies it's own learned desicion-making abilities on future data. This is why people who suck at a board game like checkers or backgammon can build AIs who can play the game far better than them.

Answer 19

I basically work in finance/trading; I used to be a university lecturer in mathematics.

Answer 20

ooh.... how are AIs applied in the domain of finance? I;'ve heard of algorithmic traders or something.

Answer 21

AI doesnt take its own decisions... It just follow a set of rules for getting to an answer, but that doenst mean that it is thinking.

Answer 22

automated trading is huge (and sometimes has alarming consequences)

Answer 23

Machine learning is thinking. Yes, it can get human inputs on certain aspects. But, in the end, you are letting the machine learn and then tell you how to proceed.

Answer 24

KierseyClemons has a homework to finish I bet. Can't be hard for this system to learn and figure that out automatically. Come on!!

Answer 25

I, for one, welcome our artificially-intelligent overlords.

Answer 26

Yes. And, I welcome highly intelligent mathematically strong humans as well!! :-)

Answer 27

FYI - I am not one of them. I wish I went farther with math that I did.