What Is Artificial Intelligence?

1. What Is Artificial Intelligence?

Hi, and welcome to the course! I'm James, AI Curriculum Manager here at DataCamp, and I'll be your instructor for the course.

2. AI is Everywhere

Artificial intelligence is quietly shaping the way we live, work, and interact. It's behind the recommendations on your favorite streaming service or e-commerce website,

3. AI is Everywhere

the voice assistants in your home,

4. AI is Everywhere

and even the systems that help scientists discover new medicines.

5. The Road Ahead

In this course, we'll demystify what artificial intelligence actually means,

6. The Road Ahead

what forms it takes,

7. The Road Ahead

how you can be more productive with it,

8. The Road Ahead

and how to use it responsibly to mitigate some of the risks. So what is artificial intelligence?

9. What is Artificial Intelligence?

In simple terms, artificial intelligence, or AI, refers to the field of study and set of technologies that enable computer systems to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. This includes

10. What is Artificial Intelligence?

reasoning through complex problems,

11. What is Artificial Intelligence?

learning from data and making predictions,

12. What is Artificial Intelligence?

understanding and generating human language,

13. What is Artificial Intelligence?

and making informed decisions. It's important to note that AI

14. What is Artificial Intelligence?

isn't about replicating human consciousness—it's about creating systems that can intelligently solve problems. This definition will be our foundation as we explore different types of AI throughout this course. It may seem like AI is all very new, but in fact,

15. The Birth of AI

AI has been around for decades. The first-ever conference on artificial intelligence was held at Dartmouth College in 1956—an event widely considered one of the founding moments of the field.

16. AI Over the Years

Since then, we've seen AI development happen in waves,

17. AI Over the Years

starting with expert systems in the seventies and eighties that captured human expertise into hard-coded rules. These rules allowed systems to "react" to changing circumstances that before, would have required human intervention.

18. AI Over the Years

Machine learning systems in the nineties and two-thousands that learned patterns from data, and most recently,

19. AI Over the Years

the generative AI systems of the twenty-twenties. Each era built on the previous one, leading us to where we are today. The truth is, you've been interacting with AI systems throughout your life, often without realizing it.

20. AI in Your Pocket and Home

Every time you use auto-correct or predictive text on your phone or keyboard, that's machine learning in action.

21. AI in Your Pocket and Home

When you unlock your phone with your face, that's computer vision.

22. AI in Your Pocket and Home

Netflix recommendations? That's a recommender system analyzing your viewing patterns.

23. AI in Your Pocket and Home

Even the non-playable characters in video games use artificial intelligence to create realistic behaviors.

24. AI in Your Pocket and Home

And those smart appliances in your home, like a fridge adjusting its temperature? That's an expert system reacting to changing temperatures based on programmed rules. AI has been quietly working behind the scenes for years, making your technology smarter and more intuitive.

25. The Generative AI Revolution

More recently, we've had a new wave of generative AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. These systems can generate entirely new content—whether that's text, code, images, or even video.

26. The Generative AI Revolution

They can act as tools that help you accomplish complex tasks, like vibe coding applications where you describe what you want and the AI writes the code for you.

27. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

But remember, these modern GenAI systems didn't appear out of nowhere. They're built on decades of research and development, combining advances in computer science, machine learning, natural language processing, and massive computational power.

28. Let's practice!

In the lessons ahead, we'll outline the different types of AI systems in more detail, exploring how they work and how you can leverage them effectively.

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