Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Science fiction novels and popular movies have featured scenarios of computer systems
and intelligent machines taking over the world. Stephen Hawking, who is the Lucasian pro-
fessor of mathematics at Cambridge University (a position once held by Isaac Newton) and
author of
A Brief History of Time
, said, “In contrast with our intellect, computers double their
performance every 18 months. So the danger is real that they could develop intelligence and
take over the world.” Computer systems such as Hal in the classic movie
2001: A Space
Odyssey
and those in the movie
A.I.
are futuristic glimpses of what might be. These accounts
are fictional, but they show the real application of many computer systems that use the notion
of AI. These systems help to make medical diagnoses, explore for natural resources, determine
what is wrong with mechanical devices, and assist in designing and developing other com-
puter systems.
Science fiction movies give us a
glimpse of the future, but many
practical applications of artificial
intelligence exist today, among
them medical diagnostics and
development of computer systems.
(Source: WALL-E, 2008. © Walt
Disney Studios Motion Pictures/
Courtesy Everett Collection.)
Artificial Intelligence in Perspective
Artificial intelligence systems
include the people, procedures, hardware, software, data, and
knowledge needed to develop computer systems and machines that demonstrate character-
According to University of California-Santa Cruz professor Michael Mateas, “As graphics
improvements top out, artificial intelligence will [drive] game innovation.” Researchers,
scientists, and experts on how human beings think are often involved in developing these
systems.
artificial intelligence systems
People, procedures, hardware,
software, data, and knowledge
needed to develop computer
systems and machines that
demonstrate the characteristics of
intelligence.
The Nature of Intelligence
From the early AI pioneering stage, the research emphasis has been on developing machines
author also foresees that, by 2045, human and machine intelligence might merge. According
to Kurzweil, “The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI) is playing a critical
role in advancing humanity's understanding of the profound promise and peril of strong
The
Turing Test
attempts to determine whether the responses from a computer with
intelligent behavior are indistinguishable from responses from a human being. No computer
has passed the Turing Test, developed by Alan Turing, a British mathematician. The Loebner
Prize offers money and a gold medal for anyone developing a computer that can pass the
Turing Test (see
www.loebner.net
).
Some of the specific characteristics of
intelligent
behavior
include the ability to do the following:
•
intelligent behavior
The ability to learn from experiences
and apply knowledge acquired from
experience, handle complex
situations, solve problems when
important information is missing,
determine what is important, react
quickly and correctly to a new
situation, understand visual images,
process and manipulate symbols,
be creative and imaginative, and use
heuristics.
Learn from experience and apply the knowledge acquired from experience.
Learning
from past situations and events is a key component of intelligent behavior and is a natural
ability of humans, who learn by trial and error. This ability, however, must be carefully
programmed into a computer system. Today, researchers are developing systems that
can learn from experience. For instance, computerized AI chess software can learn to
improve while playing human competitors. In one match, Garry Kasparov competed
against a personal computer with AI software developed in Israel, called Deep Junior.
This match was a 3-3 tie, but Kasparov picked up something the machine would have
no interest in—$700,000. The 20 questions (20q) Web site,
www.20q.net
,
is another
