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Artificial Intelligence: Everything You Need To Know
Embark on a thrilling journey into the fast-moving, controversial world of artificial intelligence. AI is already upending dozens of industries, from defense to travel to journalism to the arts, and people are very curious as to what's really happening. We'll explore AI's origins and technical foundations to deliver a deeper understanding of its awesome power to reshape our lives, eliminating repetitive tasks and bringing new efficiency. We'll also explore the darker side of AI, including the real threat of millions of humans being put suddenly out of work, and the risks an unchecked AI could potentially spiral out of control and endanger humanity's very existence. Don't miss it!
in this issue
IN THIS ISSUEThe AI RevolutionArtificial Intelligence (AI) has swiftly transitioned from a lofty, futuristic ambition to an everyday reality, with usage growing in both the personal and professional spheres. Mirroring the impact of the Digital Revolution and the Industrial Revolution before that, AI has quickly emerged as a promising gamechanger poised to disrupt everything in our daily lives. Already, this transformative technology has woven its way into numerous aspects of modern life, transforming communication, decisionmaking, and even our shopping habits, often without us even noticing it. But whether this is a good thing or not? Well, that depends on your perspective. Throughout this issue, you’ll dive into the various ways AI is shaping our world more and more, every single day. It makes modern life easier in ways that you see—such as through virtual…2 min
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOW WE GOT HEREARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOW WE GOT HEREThe origin story for artificial intelligence goes back to the mid-20th century, when mathematician and computer science pioneer Alan Turing posed a simple question: “Can machines think?” Over the decades, the development of what would come to be known as AI passed through alternating periods of progress and stagnation, characterized by promising results and frustrating failures—and fervent research followed by a loss of interest and funding. The modern resurgence in AI came alongside advancements in machine learning techniques and deep learning algorithms that brought Turing’s vision ever closer to reality, with computers making incredible strides including defeating the world’s best minds in ever more complex games like Jeopardy and chess. Today, AI technology already permeates our daily lives, from the programming you’re fed by streaming platforms to virtual assistants helping…1 min
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOW WE GOT HEREEarly HistoryThe early history of artificial intelligence can be traced back to the 1930s, in particular to the incredible work of British mathematician and computer science pioneer Alan Turing. Turing played a significant role in cracking German codes during World War II by developing the Turing-Welchman Bombe machine. This device laid the groundwork for modern computers, as well as the basic concept of intelligent machines that might one day be capable of thinking like humans. ALANTURING’S IMPACT By leading his team to break the powerful encryption generated by Germany’s Enigma machine and reveal Nazi war secrets, Turing is believed to have helped shorten World War II by up to four years, likely saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Working on complex codebreaking at Bletchley Park in the UK, his efforts were…4 min
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOW WE GOT HEREMiddle HistoryDuring the 1980s and 1990s, pioneers in AI laid the foundations for the extraordinary advancements that are taking place today. A key factor driving this period was a marked improvement in computer processing capabilities—as machines, such as the IBM Deep Blue supercomputer, became faster and more powerful, they also became much better equipped to handle the sheer volume of data integral to effective AI development. For example, expert systems like MYCIN, a computer-based consultation system designed to diagnose bacterial infections, became viable during this era. This surge in innovative new computing prowess opened up new possibilities for researchers and engineers, enabling them to push the boundaries of what AI could achieve. COPYING THE HUMAN BRAIN In this era, one of the central goals of AI was to develop “knowledge representation”…4 min
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOW WE GOT HEREModern HistoryRecent history and innovative new advancements in technology have brought us to a crucial period in the development and evolution of artificial intelligence. Over the past two decades, we have witnessed the triumphant return of neural networks to AI development; this progression can largely be credited to Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), initially designed for video gaming. The increasing power of GPUs allowed for more complicated computations that led to the birth of deep learning—currently one of the most innovative branches of AI. WHAT IS DEEP LEARNING? Deep learning is essentially a more sophisticated version of traditional AI techniques that enables a broader range of tasks using vast amounts of data. It distinguishes itself from other AI methods by using artificial neural networks, which are designed to imitate the human brain’s…5 min
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOW WE GOT HEREAI PioneersJOHN MCCARTHY John McCarthy, a pioneer in computer science, is often credited as one of the forefathers of AI. In 1955, he co-authored a proposal for the Dartmouth Conference that is considered the birthplace of AI as a field. McCarthy’s groundbreaking work led him to coin the term “artificial intelligence” and develop the Lisp programming language. Lisp, designed specifically for symbolic computation and manipulation, became the foundation for many AI research projects and was widely adopted in AI applications. In addition to his creation of Lisp, McCarthy’s concept of time-sharing computing systems revolutionized computers’ resource usage and accessibility. His work in formalizing the knowledge representation aspect within AI led to frame-based systems—an essential aspect of reasoning about knowledge. He also introduced “circum-scription,” an approach to managing uncertainty in AI reasoning.…4 min
