The basics you need to know about AI

When you hear the word AI, what comes to mind? For a teenager, it may be that bot you chat with on Snapchat whenever you’re bored.

For an author, it’s what helps cure her writer’s block. For lecturers, it may seem like a spawn of the devil, enabling students to cheat on their assignments and promoting laziness. And for some programmers, AI simplifies tasks, like debugging or generating code.  

Artificial Intelligence is all around us, quietly working behind the scenes in everyday life. From algorithms that suggest content on your ‘For You’ page on TikTok to the virtual assistants on your phone. Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay. It is the future. But many people are being left behind in this constantly evolving world.

In my first semester of engineering school, I knew almost nothing about Artificial Intelligence. By the end of my second semester, I can say I’d come a long way in my knowledge of AI. I went from scrolling through pages of my textbook just to look for the explanation of a single concept to actually learning to code, all thanks to help from Copilot (it’s just like ChatGPT). Crazy, right?

Dear reader, if you have no idea what AI is, fear not. I’ve got you covered. Here’s your guide to Artificial Intelligence, curated by someone who’s been in your shoes before.

How AI Learns.                                                                                                  

Think about how a child learns to identify animals. If you show a child several pictures of dogs and explain, "This is a dog," they will eventually recognise dogs in other images. AI functions in a similar way, except it uses data instead of sight and mathematical models instead of a brain. The more information (or examples) AI receives, the more accurate it becomes at spotting patterns.

For example, Netflix doesn’t really know why you loved that rom-com or sci-fi movie, but it does know that you liked films with similar storylines, actors, or genres. That’s why it keeps recommending them—it’s all based on patterns it detects from your past viewing history.

Super Smart, But in One Area Only                                                                    

AI may sound fancy, but most AI today is called Narrow AI — it excels at one task only but nothing else. For example:
•    A facial recognition system can accurately identify faces in images but cannot drive a car or diagnose a medical condition. Here are some examples:

•    Virtual Assistants: Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa are examples of narrow AI that can recognise voice commands and perform tasks like setting reminders or answering questions but cannot perform tasks outside their programmed capabilities.

•    Self-Driving Cars: AI in self-driving cars is designed to navigate roads, recognise traffic signals, and avoid obstacles. However, it cannot be used to perform other tasks like writing code or diagnosing diseases.

•    Recommendation Systems: Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Amazon use narrow AI to suggest videos or products based on your viewing and purchase history. That’s AI analysing what you’ve liked before. It’s not reading your mind—it’s just very good at connecting the dots based on your choices.

With AI, the possibilities are endless. And while it may seem intimidating at first, it’s really just about breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable parts. By the time you finish reading this, you’ll realise AI isn’t some mystical force—it’s a helpful tool that’s already part of your everyday life!