What is AI (Artificial Intelligence), what are its advantages, and disadvantages, along with How it will impact the world.

Not A Experimental Project

Evolution of AI

• The rise of artificial intelligence started in the 1950s, 
• Alan Turing published "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", introducing the Turing test. The Turing test is simply a method of deciding whether a machine is capable of human intelligence [2].  
• field faced a setback in the 1970s due to major skepticism and reduced funding. 
• Though just a decade later, the 1980s saw the revival of AI, created by the advancements of Neural Networks, and Expert systems:
  •  Neural Networks: "a subset of machine learning and are at the heart of deep learning algorithms" [3]
  • Expert Systems: “An Expert System is a computer program (software) that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to reproduce the judgment of a human with expert knowledge in a particular field." [4]
• The momentum created through the 80s, continues into the 1990s and 2000s, with great achievements such as:
  • IBM's Deep Blue [5] - 1997 
  • Stanford Racing Team's Stanley [6] - 2005 
• The 2010s were marked by an 'AI Boom'. This was highlighted by IBM's Watson winning Jeopardy in 2011 and Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo victory in 2016. 

How does AI even Work?

• AI works by simulating human intelligence processes through the creation and application of different algorithms. 
• They are designed to mimic human intelligence to preform tasks and improve themselves based on the information they collect. Here is a broken-down list of the different mechanisms within AI:
  • Data Ingestion: data can come from various sources like databases, text, or images.
  • Machine learning: where algorithms are used to make decisions based on the patterns detected
  • Neural Networks: inspired by the biological networks of human brains. 
  • Algorithms: a set of rules that AI works with.
  • Learning Processes: Supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning.
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP): allows AI to understand to a spoken/written language.
  • Computer Vision: can understand  based on visual information (pictures, videos, etc.)

Promises

• The promises of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are as diverse as they are impactful in industries like:
  • Healthcare - AI algorithms have revolutionized diagnostics and patient care. They help detect diseases faster and more early on and create personalized patient plans.
  •  Automotive - transformed by AI-driven advancements in autonomous vehicles, enhancing safety and reshaping urban transportation.
  • Education - offer more personalized learning, adapting to the individual student and their needs.
•  AI has also made significant contributions to lifestyle improvements, from smart home to entertainment. 

Perils

• Ethically - decision making and moral responsibility --- decisions and ethical ---  law-enforcement, healthcare, and other critical fields stays unknown.
• Privacy and security concerns  - they manage sensitive information; easy targets for cyber attacks and data misuse/breaches.

Regulating AI

• existing regulatory framework in terms of AI in Canada lacks a specific overarching law -- various government branches and departments --> tasked with overseeing laws related to AI.
•  Some of these people would include:
  • Office of the Privacy Commissioner (addresses issues related to collection, use, and transfer or personal data).
  • Advisory Council on AI.
• proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), part of Bill C-27
  • would set up Canada-wide obligations for AI systems (within the domain of international trade/commerce). 
• upcoming reforms in federal and provincial privacy laws are set to  AI use within businesses.

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The journey of Artificial Intelligence from its theoretical rise in the 1950s to its status as a transformative force in various areas, illustrating its rising potential. Its evolution marked by the Turing test, Neural Networks, and Machine Learning. It has revolutionized multiple industries like healthcare, and education. On the other hand, it faces ethical, privacy, and security challenges, creating a balance of regulation and application. In my opinion, we just don’t know enough about AI yet. There are ethical and moral concerns, but I think that it could be used for the better in many different scenarios.

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