Artificial Intelligence
The ability of a computer or other machine to perform those activities that are normally thought to require intelligence.The branch of computer science concerned with the development of machines having this ability.Artificial Intelligence, a branch of computer science that seeks to create a computer system capable of sensing the world around it, understanding conversations, learning, reasoning, and reaching decisions, just as would a human.
AI is based on the ability to communicate with a computer. The obvious best way is through speech. It would also be good for computers to be to 'see' as well.The science of making machines that can do the kinds of thing that humans can do. Topics of research have included speech recognition, visual recognition, and the more familiar problem solving and game-playing. Modelling a psychological phenomenon on a computer is a way of showing how the phenomenon is possible in a physical world, and is also a way of bringing out the complexities involved in apparently simple tasks. A central concept in much AI research is that of a representation, with programs designed to construct, adapt, and link representations in the production of intelligent responses.
One area of progress is the field of expert systems, or computer systems designed to reproduce the knowledge base and decision-making techniques used by experts in a given field. Such a system can train workers and assist in decision making.
Artificial Intelligence through Expert and knowledge based systems, is being used within the clinical environment. Expert Systems contain medical knowledge and data repository, especially about a very specific task, and are able to compare and reason with this data collected from individual patients to come up with justified conclusions. The knowledge base within the expert system is derived from a set of rules.
Expert systems use information technology to gain and use human expertise. Obviously, this can be very beneficial to organizations. Expert Systems can:
1. Provide answers for decisions, processes and tasks that are repetitive
2. Hold huge amounts of information
3. Minimize employee training costs
4. Centralize the decision making process
5. Make things more efficient by reducing the time needed to solve problems
6. Combine various human expert intelligences
7. Reduce the number of human errors
8. Provide strategic and comparative advantages that may create problems for competitors
9. Look over transactions that human experts may not think of
Disadvantages
However, there are also disadvantages to expert systems, such as:
No common sense used in making decisions
Lack of creative responses that human experts are capable of
Not capable of explaining the logic and reasoning behind a decision
It is not easy to automate complex processes
There is no flexibility and ability to adapt to changing environment
Not able to recognize when there is no answer
If robots start replacing human resources in every field, we will have to deal with serious issues like unemployment in turn leading to mental depression, poverty and crime in the society. Human beings deprived of their work life may not find any means to channelize their energies and harness their expertise. Human beings will be left with empty time.
These are only some basic advantages and disadvantages without getting too technical. It is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.The ultimate effort is to make computer programs that can solve problems and achieve goals in the world as well as humans. However, many people involved in particular research areas are much less ambitious.
