Artificial Intelligence will become as ubiquitous as the internet one day.
In my last post, I asked, Can Machines Think?And shared a brief history of AI. Today, we’re going to cover some key terms necessary to join the AI conversation.
Why am I doing a series on AI? After all, I’m not a tech guy. Because I believe AI is going to change everything. To have a voice and make a meaningful contribution, there needs to be a basic understanding, and sticking our heads in the sand isn’t a viable option.
Joining the AI Conversation…
Let’s start with a basic understanding of some key terms and concepts. Though there are many more, I stuck to the most necessary ones to help you join the conversation.
The four most interesting are AI, LLM, AGI, and Singularity. We’ll start with the most interesting ones (AI, LLM, AGI, and Singularity) and then I’ll give you the rest. Don’t worry, I’ll keep them brief.
AI: Artificial Intelligence – “The science and engineering of making intelligent machines.” This was the definition coined in 1955 by Stanford University computer science professor John McCarthy, PhD. Today, it’s commonly understood as a branch of computer science that focuses on creating machines, computer programs or software systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence.
LLM: Large Language Model – A type of AI model trained on massive amounts of text data, capable of understanding and generating human-like language. Some examples are the models that power chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and my favorite, Anthropic’s Claude. Most of the talk right now is about these models.
AGI: Artificial General Intelligence – A field of theoretical AI research that attempts to create AI systems with human-level intelligence and the ability to self-teach. The aim is for the software to be able to perform tasks that it is not necessarily trained or developed for.
Singularity – A hypothetical future point where artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to rapid and uncontrollable technological growth. This concept is highly debated among experts.
Now for the more common terms that you will need to understand.
- Algorithm: A step-by-step set of instructions that a computer follows to solve a specific problem or perform a task, such as recognizing patterns.
- Chatbot – A software application or web interface that mimics human conversation through text or voice interactions.
- ChatGPT – A chatbot developed by OpenAI, capable of generating humanlike text based on context and past conversations. It is powered by a large language model and is an example of generative AI.
- Deep Learning – A type of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks, which are inspired by the structure and function of the human brain.
What Are Your Thoughts About AI?
How do you think AI might impact your personal or professional life in the next 5-10 years?
Which of these AI concepts intrigues you the most, and why?
Which terms and concepts are the most discomforting?
Let’s shape the conversation…together!
Kent
Sources
Stanford Medicine Magazine, “The ABC’s of AI”
Amazon Web Services, “What is AGI”
*Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash
