Week 10 - Artificial Intelligence Discussion

[image source: https://www.softwareone.com/en-fi/blog/articles/2021/04/05/implementing-artificial-intelligence-part-1]

Question: Is there a goal for artificial intelligence? (by @anniebburg)

Response: This is a really interesting question because there a dozens of different goals for artificial intelligence, it just depends on who you're asking. Some think small picture and emphasize coding while others dream big and picture actual human-like androids capable of thought and presence. A good middle ground (and general goal) for this answer is that artificial intelligence is to help aid computers into making becoming capable of critical thinking, which includes decision-making, problem solving, and communication (specifically with humans). The inspiration behind this is, as is it behind most advancement, innovation. The need to make things better, quicker, easier, has pushed humanity towards the creation of some remarkable things and the next step is creating artificial intelligence. By creating something that can conduct critical thinking like humans can, we can eliminate the need for man-powered jobs, turning it towards automation, and thus providing (ideally) room for man to focus on advancing and creating even more. AI is also supposed to actually surpass human intelligence to become something better, something we as a species can rely on to control programs that could otherwise be destroyed by human error. Automated cars, planes eliminating the chances of crashes caused by user error or surgeon machines that are so precise and stable that they can replace shaky hands and unsure cuts of human doctors. I don't think we'll be able to achieve that goal anytime soon, if ever, but that is the End Goal that people are continuously working towards in terms of artificial intelligence. There are smaller check-point goals that need to be met before we can even begin to think that big of picture (with self-driving cars still have so many issues that need to be resolved) that it will be difficult to reach the status of many sci-fi movies but, I will say, I'm sure people thought it would be impossible to for humans to fly and we did it anyways so anything is possible.