What is artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that creates machines or software that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as recognizing speech, making decisions, solving problems, and learning from experience.

Let's break it down

  • Data: AI needs lots of information to learn patterns.
  • Algorithms: Step‑by‑step instructions that tell the computer how to process data.
  • Machine Learning: A subset of AI where computers improve their performance automatically by finding patterns in data.
  • Neural Networks: Computer models inspired by the brain that help recognize complex patterns, especially in images and sound.
  • Training & Inference: “Training” is when the AI learns from data; “inference” is when it uses what it learned to make predictions or decisions.

Why does it matter?

AI can handle huge amounts of data far faster than a person, uncover hidden insights, automate repetitive work, and enable new products and services that improve everyday life-from personalized recommendations to medical diagnoses.

Where is it used?

  • Voice assistants (e.g., Siri, Alexa)
  • Online recommendations (movies, shopping, music)
  • Self‑driving cars and traffic management
  • Fraud detection in banking
  • Medical imaging analysis and drug discovery
  • Customer service chatbots
  • Smart home devices and industrial robots

Good things about it

  • Increases efficiency and saves time
  • Helps solve complex problems that are hard for humans alone
  • Enables personalized experiences (e.g., tailored ads, custom learning)
  • Improves safety in areas like transportation and manufacturing
  • Can assist in scientific research and healthcare breakthroughs

Not-so-good things

  • Can inherit biases present in the training data, leading to unfair outcomes
  • May replace certain jobs, causing workforce displacement
  • Raises privacy concerns when personal data is collected and analyzed
  • Often works as a “black box,” making it hard to understand how decisions are made
  • Vulnerable to adversarial attacks that trick AI systems into making mistakes.