Introduction to Artificial Intelligence eBook

What Is Artificial Intelligence?

The term artificial intelligence stirs emotions. For one thing there is our fascination with intelligence, which seemingly imparts to us humans a special place among life forms. Questions arise such as “What is intelligence?”, “How can one measure intelligence?” or “How does the brain work?”. All these questions are meaningful when trying to understand artificial intelligence. However, the central question for the engineer, especially for the computer scientist, is the question of the intelligent machine that behaves like a person, showing intelligent behavior. The attribute artificial might awaken much different associations. It brings up fears of intelligent cyborgs. It recalls images from science fiction novels. It raises the question of whether our highest good, the soul, is something we should try to understand, model, or even reconstruct. With such different offhand interpretation.