Definition: The Field of Artificial Intelligence
By ai-depot | June 30, 2002
It seems a bit odd to dedicate a site to the field of Artificial Intelligence, without defining its area of influence. The limits of A.I. research strech far in many directions, so here’s an essay that enumerate its branches, approaches and applications, bringing them together with a discussion.
Written by Alex J. Champandard.
Overview
It seems rather ironical for a site dedicated to the field of Artificial Intelligence not to have even the simplest definition. So here it is, and as a consequence, it is also a partial list of the content you can expect from this site.
Let’s get things started by stating a very important fact: This is not a definition of intelligence, human or otherwise, nor of the process of simulating it artificially. This essay discusses and describes the field of Artificial Intelligence, its branches, research openings and applications. There is an considerable difference between the two, as you will quickly notice. Indeed, the field of A.I. has grown to be so much more than attempts to simulate (human) intelligence.
Many branches of Artificial Intelligence today set out to solve domain specific problems, by using algorithms that display single characteristics of intelligence, if any at all. Some applications, in fact only show a remote emergent possibility of intelligence, a fact covered up by the use of numerous marketing buzz-words. Admittedly, A.I. is a hot topic that has increasingly picked up popularity and interest, and is becoming an umbrella of coolness targeted by advertising.
None the less, the many branches and applications of A.I. remain fascinating, and we’ll try to bring some of them together to analyse their common characteristics. The first step towards this goal will be taken in the next page of this essay by discussing the importance of the representation of a problem. Then we’ll consider the two major approaches to solving problems, namely the classical approach and the statistical approach. The following section will show how these concepts are split into various branches, of which we’ll describe a few. With the theoretical background covered, we’ll finally mention some practical applications of artificial intelligence.
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