Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligence displayed by machines. In computing, the field of AI research is defined as the study of "intelligent agents": any device that perceives its surroundings and take actions that maximize their chances of success in some objective. Colloquially, the term "artificial intelligence" applies when a machine imitates "cognitive" functions that humans associate with other human minds, such as "learning" and "solving problems." As machines become increasingly capable, mental installations, once thought to require intelligence, are removed from the definition. For example, optical character recognition is no longer perceived as an example of "artificial intelligence", having become a routine technology. The capabilities currently classified as AI include successful understanding of human speech, high-level competition in strategic game systems (such as Chess and Go), self-guided cars, intelligent routing in content distribution networks and complex data interpretation.
AI research is divided into subfields that focus on specific problems or specific approaches or the use of a particular tool or to satisfy particular applications.
The central problems (or goals) of AI research include reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, natural language processing (communication), perception, and the ability to move and manipulate objects. General intelligence is one of the long-term objectives of the field. Approaches include statistical methods, computational intelligence, and traditional symbolic AI. Many tools are used in AI, including search versions and mathematical optimization, logic, methods based on probability and economy. The AI field is based on computer science, mathematics, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience and artificial psychology.
The field was founded on the assertion that human intelligence "can be described so precisely that a machine can be simulated." This raises philosophical arguments about the nature of the mind and the ethics of creating artificial beings endowed with human intelligence, issues that have been explored by myth, fiction and philosophy since antiquity. Some people also consider that AI is a danger to humanity if it progresses endlessly. Attempts to create artificial intelligence have experienced many setbacks, including the ALPAC report of 1966, the abandonment of perceptrons in 1970, the Lighthill Report of 1973, the second IA winter 1987-1993 and the collapse of the Lisp machine market in 1987.
In the 21st century, AI techniques, both "hard" and "soft", have experienced a resurgence due to simultaneous advances in computer power, training set sizes and theoretical understanding, and AI techniques have become an essential part of the technology industry, helping to solve many challenging problems in computing. Recent advances in AI, and specifically in machine learning, have contributed to the growth of Autonomous Things like drones and self-driven automobiles, becoming the main driver of innovation in the automotive industry.
It can be understood in the following video: