What actually is Artificial Intelligence?

AI is a common topic of conversation, but I've started wondering about what it actually is. I found an interesting article:

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/artificial-intelligence/what-is-artificial-intelligence-ai/

The article states "Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology that enables machines and computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence."

 And that it "Simulates human intelligence through learning and reasoning"

Is simulating intelligence actually intelligence?

Also, can it ever "think outside the box"? For example, I recently moved into a new flat with a very small bathroom, and nowhere to hang towels. There is only a small space next to the sink and a towel rail will not fit. So I bought a coat stand - an upright pole on a stand with 6 hooks around it - on which towels can be hung, and it solved the problem. Could an AI have thought of this?

Parents
  • An interesting article yesterday where Google are making all schools 

    www.theguardian.com/.../google-search-artificial-intelligence

    Google just acknowledged that you can’t use Google Search without using artificial intelligence.

    ..

    if a school or teacher blocks the use of Google’s AI features, students won’t be able to use Google Search

    So it looks like the worlds most popular search engine is forcing children to use their AI in order to get them dependent on it for research and analysis.

    This worries me as it allows Google much more control over what information is returned as well as making the young minds less capable of independent critical thinking. 

  • That's...  not as alarming as you might think it is. Search engines at their core are a form of artificial intelligence. A lot of tech we've used over the years incorporated some form of AI in their software. It's only just now that it's become this big buzzword that the techbros like to throw around to make their products seem so much more advanced that it actually is.

  • I agree James, its not just AI with google searches, it's all the sponsered ads, product placement and all the other crap that gets in the way of people finding what they've asked for, it might well be there, on page 100,001, but honestly who's going to have the time or patience to wade through that much. If companies can pay to have their stuff come on the first page and first couple of entries, then a lot of real and ground breaking will never be seen. 

    So bored and disgusted with it all, I've actually started using AI as a search engine, I get better results, I don't totally trust it, it depends on what I'm looking for. It has come up with stuff that I've argued back at and its come back with the correct data and an appology, a couple of times I've asked it if it's having a chip fart, it sometimes responds and sometimes not depending on how serious the question was. 

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  • I agree James, its not just AI with google searches, it's all the sponsered ads, product placement and all the other crap that gets in the way of people finding what they've asked for, it might well be there, on page 100,001, but honestly who's going to have the time or patience to wade through that much. If companies can pay to have their stuff come on the first page and first couple of entries, then a lot of real and ground breaking will never be seen. 

    So bored and disgusted with it all, I've actually started using AI as a search engine, I get better results, I don't totally trust it, it depends on what I'm looking for. It has come up with stuff that I've argued back at and its come back with the correct data and an appology, a couple of times I've asked it if it's having a chip fart, it sometimes responds and sometimes not depending on how serious the question was. 

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