artificial intelligence

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

noun

Computers, Digital Technology.

1. 1. 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. AI, A.I.

   2. a computer, robot, programmed device, or software application having this humanlike capacity: AI, A.I.

      teaching human values to artificial intelligences.

2. 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. AI, A.I.

artificial intelligence

noun

1. AI. the study of the modelling of human mental functions by computer programs

artificial intelligence

1. 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.

artificial intelligence

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of artificial intelligence¹

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

Example Sentences

Most speculation about artificial intelligence has focused on its potential to kill jobs and on the policies that government might implement to control AI and cushion workers against temporary or permanent unemployment.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With stocks trading near record highs, Big Tech’s soaring spending on artificial intelligence has rekindled a passionate debate among investors: Is the market in another bubble?

Read more on MarketWatch

I’m the first to admit that I have been an evangelist for using artificial intelligence for both work and pleasure.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

CHENNAI, India — Now that artificial intelligence has mastered almost everything we do online, it needs help learning how we physically move around in the real world.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Parallel Systems is one of many companies hoping to use the latest battery technology and artificial intelligence to build fully autonomous vehicles that will change the way people and products are moved.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• robotics