Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fascinating and multifaceted field that has captured the imagination and curiosity of people worldwide. But what exactly is AI, and what does it mean to different individuals? To some, AI represents the pinnacle of technological advancement, a tool capable of revolutionizing industries, enhancing productivity, and solving complex problems that have long eluded human capability. For others, it raises ethical concerns, questions about the future of employment, and the philosophical quandary of what it means to be intelligent. Then there are those who see AI as a partner in creative processes, pushing the boundaries of art, music, and literature. So, what exactly is AI?

The official definition of AI can vary significantly depending on the regulatory agency or governing body in question, reflecting the complexity and evolving nature of the field itself. For example, the European Union’s High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence adopts a broad perspective, defining AI as “systems that display intelligent behavior by analyzing their environment and taking actions – with some degree of autonomy – to achieve specific goals.” In contrast, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. offers a more detailed framework, focusing on AI’s ability to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence such as perception, reasoning, learning, and decision making. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provides a standard that emphasizes the role of machine learning in AI, highlighting the use of algorithms and statistical models to enable computers to perform tasks without being explicitly programmed for each one. And the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) defines AI as part of its “covered technologies” definition, stating that AI includes “analytical, technological, or computational functions, algorithms, models, correlation matrices, or similar methodologies or processes utilized to optimize for, predict, guide, forecast, or direct behaviors or outcomes.” These examples illustrate not only the diverse interpretations and expectations of AI across different jurisdictions but also underscore the challenges in creating a unified, global definition of AI amidst its rapid advancement and application across varied domains.

Since this series is focused on aspects of AI not directly related to programming, we will use the European Union’s definition of “systems that display intelligent behavior by analyzing their environment and taking actions – with some degree of autonomy – to achieve specific goals.” Thus, AI is the all-encompassing circle that surrounds and supports the information that will be shared in future posts.

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