Artificial intelligence (AI) is a big topical topic. Machine learning falls under, or is part of, AI. Artificial intelligence refers to technology that enables machines to perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. These tasks include learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. AI “learns” by analyzing vast amounts of data or examples. It then uses this knowledge to make decisions or predictions.

What are some examples of AI? Song Recommendations AI algorithms suggest music you might enjoy based on the data it has. It will suggest similar types of music. AI can translate languages by translating text from one language to another. Another example of AI is the chatbot. Chatbots provide customer support in real time. AI researchers strive for general artificial intelligence (GAI)—machines that truly think and reason like humans, and evolve as they receive more data.

The subfields of AI are:

• Machine learning
• Deep Learning (Neural Networks)

Current and Past Uses of AI

AI has been used for years. One common example is the span filter in email. It tries to predict if a particular email is spam or not. AI has been used in fraud prevention, personalized shopping (recommendation systems), voice assistants and other things.

Prompting

AI prompts provide explicit instructions to an AI or machine learning model, enabling it to produce the desired outputs. A “prompt” is essentially the input you give to the AI to tell it what you want it to do. It could be text or an image. Prompts set the context for the AI, helping it understand what you’re looking for. It can range from a simple question or a complex set of instructions. The quality of your prompt greatly influences the quality of the AI’s output. “Prompt engineering” is the process of learning how to write effective prompts to get the best results from AI.

Here are a few tips on creating good prompts. Identify the goal or objective. Be specific. For example, specify the number of words and the level of the reader. Include keywords or phrases. Do not use any conflicting terms. Ask open-ended questions.

Learn with Video

Here is a great short video that introduces us to the field of AI and its components. It’s called What is Artificial Intelligence? In 5 minutes, and it’s by Dr. Raj Ramesh.

Here is a video by Tina Huang called How To Self Study AI FAST.

Here is a TED talk called Why AI is incredibly smart and shockingly stupid.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

Artificial general intelligence (AGI) refers to a theoretical state in which computer systems will be able to achieve or exceed human intelligence. In other words, AGI is “true” artificial intelligence as depicted in countless science fiction novels, television shows, movies, and comics.

Disadvantage of AI

AI is expensive to run. It uses a lot of compute power and therefore a lot of electricity. AI reduces employment. AI does lack creative ability. There are privacy and data security concerns with AI. Be careful of the data that you include in your prompts for example, as once it goes into the AI model it’s in there for good.

AI and Ethics

Currently, we don’t have any real policies yet to govern AI.