artificial intelligence

[ ahr-tuh-fish-uhl in-tel-i-juhns ]

See synonyms for artificial intelligence on Thesaurus.com

nounComputers, Digital Technology.

- the capacity of a computer, robot, programmed device, or software application to perform operations and tasks analogous to learning and decision making in humans, such as speech recognition or question answering. Abbreviations: AI, A.I.
- a computer, robot, programmed device, or software application having this humanlike capacity: teaching human values to artificial intelligences.Abbreviations: AI, A.I.
the branch of computer science involved with the design of computers, robots, programmed devices, and software applications having the capacity to imitate human intelligence and thought. Abbreviations: AI, A.I.

Origin of artificial intelligence

First recorded in 1955–60

Words Nearby artificial intelligence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use artificial intelligence in a sentence

Predictably, the MetaHuman system relies on artificial intelligence to do its heavy computational lifting.
Meet the eerily realistic digital people made with Epic’s MetaHuman Creator | Stan Horaczek | February 11, 2021 | Popular-Science
The simple-to-use app uses artificial intelligence to scour the Internet for matching items.
Replacing pieces of flatware or china can be a challenge. Here’s how to track them down. | Laura Daily | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
It also uses artificial intelligence to forecast demand and to try to reduce food waste at its micro-fulfillment centers.
Mexican online grocer Jüsto raises $65M in General Atlantic-led Series A | Mary Ann Azevedo | February 9, 2021 | TechCrunch
The tech giant would then use that information to train machine learning engines, and the result would be artificial intelligence that could “think” and respond like someone you knew.
AI chat bots can bring you back from the dead, sort of | Dalvin Brown | February 4, 2021 | Washington Post
Others use artificial intelligence to screen or block hateful posts.
How to fight online hate before it leads to violence | Kathiann Kowalski | February 4, 2021 | Science News For Students

Stark unleashes an artificial intelligence that cannot be controlled.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Unmasked: Robert Downey Jr. and Co. Speak at Comic-Con | Annaliza Savage | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Transcendence is a $100 million movie about a very complex subject: the perils and promise of artificial intelligence.
How ‘Transcendence’ Director Wally Pfister Became Christopher Nolan’s Secret Weapon | Andrew Romano | April 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The next 10 years are expected to see a revolution in the application of artificial intelligence to every day tasks.
Robots Undercut the Case for More Immigrants | David Frum | February 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Explore the futuristic world of artificial intelligence with the new Joaquin Phoenix/Scarlett Johansson flick.
Reel Numbers: The Golden Globe Nominees Are… (Video) | The Daily Beast Video | January 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Born in 1960, just outside of Paris, LeCun has been drawn to computers, robotics, and artificial intelligence since a young age.
Soon All Your Best Facebook Friends Will Be Robots | William O’Connor | December 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
“And where would that place us on the scale of artificial intelligence,” Bernibus jested.
The Revolutions of Time | Jonathan Dunn
Paradoxically, artificial intelligence is, in part, doing exactly this.
The Civilization of Illiteracy | Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence

noun

the study of the modelling of human mental functions by computer programs: Abbreviation: AI

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence

The ability of a computer or other machine to perform actions thought to require intelligence. Among these actions are logical deduction and inference, creativity, the ability to make decisions based on past experience or insufficient or conflicting information, and the ability to understand spoken language.

a closer look

The goal of research on artificial intelligence is to understand the nature of thought and intelligent behavior and to design intelligent systems. A computer is not really intelligent; it just follows directions very quickly. At the same time, it is the speed and memory of modern computers that allows researchers to manage the huge quantities of data necessary to model human thought and behavior. An intelligent machine would be more flexible than a computer and would engage in the kind of thinking that people actually do. An example is vision. In theory, a network of sensors combined with systems for interpreting the data could produce the kind of pattern recognition that we take for granted as seeing and understanding what we see. In fact, developing software that can recognize subtle differences in objects (such as those we use to recognize human faces) is very difficult. The recognition of differences that we can perceive without deliberate effort would require massive amounts of data and elaborate guidelines to be recognized by an artificial intelligence system. According to the famous Turing Test, proposed in 1950 by British mathematician and logician Alan Turing, a machine would be considered intelligent if it could convince human observers that another human, rather than a machine, was answering their questions in conversation.

Cultural definitions for artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence

The means of duplicating or imitating intelligence in computers, robots, or other devices, which allows them to solve problems, discriminate among objects, and respond to voice commands.

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