Artificial Intelligence Technology – The Past

and The Present

Not so long ago, AI seemed a distant dream. Today it is

everywhere and is gaining momentum in all industries. CIOs
worldwide are planting AI firmly in their list of technologies
to watch out for and invest in 2022 and ahead. It is said to
drive most innovation across each industry sector in the next
1-5 years. Jerry Kurtz, Executive VP, Insights & Data, at
Capgemini America, believes that – AI is an enabler and
powerful capability, but the time for proofs of concept and
science projects is quickly coming to an end. In 2022, expect
AI engagements to become larger, more strategically
significant, and more mission-critical – with a focus on long-
term scalability. 2022 could be a year where AI will mature
from experimental to essential.
But before we go ahead, let us try to trace the origins of
Artificial Intelligence and understand how it all began? Which
events shaped the development of AI since the time of its
inception?

The History of Artificial Intelligence

In 1947, Alan Turing, the father of Computer Science,

remarked, "I believe that at the end of the century, the use of
words and general educated opinion will have altered so much
that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without
expecting to be contradicted." And it would not be a stretch to
say that he was right. Such is the nature of discovery, of the
hitherto considered unknown becoming the norm, of the old
making way for the new that it is almost unfathomable to
begin with.

While the notion of thinking machines dates back to centuries,

albeit in folklore and anecdotes, the coinage of the term AI
can be traced back to the 1950s. In the almost seven decades
since, Artificial Intelligence technology has developed and
evolved in several ways, as have its applications.
The period between the 1950s and the 1970s in the history of
AI revolved around the research on neural networks; the
ensuing three decades (1980s to 2010s) were the dawn of the
applications of Machine Learning. With consistent research,
an ever-rising degree of intrigue, and widespread application,
Machine Learning has made way for the subtler concept of
Deep Learning. And the leap into the unknown that
characterized the initial research in AI has become more of a
leap of faith, with new chapters unfolding every year.

The Types of Artificial Intelligence – Narrow AI vs Strong

AI

Artificial Intelligence has been broadly categorized into two

branches: Narrow AI or Weak AI and Strong AI. Narrow AI
is, as its name suggests, limited in its scope, and is essentially
aimed at creating systems that can serve the same function as
the human mind and enable automation. Some of the
applications of Narrow AI are as follows:
1. Image and facial recognition software
2. Self-driving vehicles
3. Chatbots
4. Digital Assistants, for instance, Alexa and Siri
5. Recommendation Algorithms, for example, Netflix
recommendations based on the watch history of a
particular user
Another branch of AI, which is yet to be explored in its
entirety, is Strong Artificial Intelligence. The notion of Strong
AI is centered around the innovation of machines and systems
that can completely replicate or exceed human intelligence
and performance and imbibe the cognitive abilities and
knowledge distinct to human beings. For such a system to
become a reality, it would require not just human knowledge
but other traits as well, such as human consciousness, critical
thinking, behavioral patterns, to name a few.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Work?

At the core of AI technology are the three pillars of Machine

Learning, Neural Networks, and Deep Learning, all of which
revolve around processing complex data, establishing patterns,
and applying algorithms and Natural Language Processing to
generate the desired output. With Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence technology can be
used to existing software and hardware, such as home security
systems, vehicles, etc. Although Artificial Intelligence has
grown rapidly over the past few decades, there remains
seemingly endless potential and applications yet to be
explored.

AutoAI

AutoAI is a subset of AutoML, that is, Automated Machine

Learning, which entails the automation of the end-to-end
process of building and training the models of Machine
Learning. Auto AI finds its application in the development of
predictive Machine Learning models through the automation
of the entire chain of tasks, ranging from preparing data sets to
selecting the best models for further utilization.
AutoAI integrates several elements in the process mentioned
above, such as:
1. Hyperparameter Optimization
2. Code Generation
3. Feature Engineering
4. Automated Model Deployment
5. Model Testing and Scoring
Explainable AI

To the naked eye, only the output of AI technology is visible,

which, owing to its mystery, lends to a lack of trust amongst
the users of said output. Explainable AI is an approach that
makes Artificial Intelligence technology understandable and
helps enhance its acceptance by humans. With the application
of Explainable AI, it is easy to understand the structures and
processes of a particular system using AI to establish
transparency and adherence to regulatory requirements. The
ability to comprehend how a specific output has been
generated helps users trust and apply AI technology better.
One can think of Explainable AI as similar to dining at a
restaurant with an open kitchen; it unlocks the mystery behind
the magic and makes it more understandable.

Well, we believe understanding AI will need more time and a

few more blogs, and at Extentia, we plan to do just that - help
you discover the facets of AI through a series of blogs. To
give you a glimpse of why AI is so important to us -
According to a few reports, AI will be better than human
beings in translating languages by 2024, promoting items by
2031, and conducting surgical procedures by 2053. These
statistics baffle us completely, and hence we bring our next AI
blog that talks about various industry applications and
innovations that are changing the world for the better.

Read other Extentia Blog posts here!

 Artificial Intelligence
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