We are in the 21st century, where technology is progressing at a very rapid pace. Technology used in our daily lives is going through massive changes, like our phones, our televisions, our cars and our computers. If technology is to be explained, it cannot be done within a short period of time. There are so many areas to cover as it is a pretty vast topic and new fields are emerging every day. One of the focus areas is AI or Artificial Intelligence which is quite prominent in the current day and age. But Artificial Intelligence is a field that has been in use for a quite a while now. Of course, AI has gone through extensive change over the years.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

In layman terms, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a concept where the software of the computer is designed to make predictions or decisions that an average human being cannot accomplish.

Let’s travel back in time and look at how Artificial Intelligence was used.

-World War II, 1939, when The United Kingdom declared war on Nazi Germany, the Germans used the ‘Enigma’ code to communicate securely. In order to decipher the ‘Enigma’, an electro-mechanical device known as the ‘Bombe machine’ was made use of.

-The board game, checkers, was mastered by a machine known as the ‘Ferranti Mark 1’ in 1951. It used a proprietary algorithm known as the ‘General Problem Solver Algorithm’ that solved mathematical problems.

-AI was even used in arts. In 1985, a drawing program known as AARON was created. AARON is a software that creates unique artistic images.
-AI was also used for household purposes. An American company called ‘iRobot’ manufactured a robot known as ‘Roomba’ which would autonomously or independently vacuum and clean floors while avoiding and navigating obstacles along its path.

All the above examples laid the foundation for AI to improve upon. Several tasks that we carry out daily involves AI.

Now, let’s look at where AI is used today

Around 2.71 billion people use smartphones. Most of the smartphones have a voice control feature. For example, the iPhone, has ‘Siri’. Siri is a personal voice assistant. Siri can make calls, send texts, perform a web search, set reminders and many other general tasks.

-AI is present in video games as well. In certain shooting games, the enemies in the game are trained each time you play a new round and makes decisions according to your gameplay style.

-AI is used in navigating, like ‘Google maps’ or ‘Apple maps’. The AI used in smart maps can detect the quickest route to a destination and even traffic in the roads.

-Advertisement and marketing also make use of AI. Advertisements are presented to users on websites based on their web searches.
In conclusion, our lives are majorly impacted by AI and it affects the way we make decisions. It is present in almost all categories of technology and it is never going to stop improving and making our lives easier.

AI is the future. And the Future is Now!

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