A Simple Explanation of AI

What is AI really, and how does it work?If you are interested in AI, you’ll undoubtedly know that many of the concepts are a bit overwhelming. There are plenty of terminologies to understand, such as machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, algorithms, and much more.With the world of AI continually evolving, it’s good to go over some of the basic concepts to better understand how it’s changing.In this episode of Short and Sweet AI, I address some of the questions that I get asked a lot: what is AI? How does AI work? I also delve into some of the limitations of AI and their possible solutions.In this episode find out:How AI worksWhat machine learning and neural networks areHow deep learning worksThe limitations of AIHow AI neuroplasticity could solve the limitations of AIImportant Links & Mentions:AlphaFold & The Protein Folding ProblemWhat is Machine Learning?Resources:SAS: Neural Networks: What they are & why they matterExplainThatStuff: Neural networksQuanta Magazine: Artificial Neural Nets Finally Yield Clues to How Brains LearnEpisode Transcript:Hello to you who are curious about AI. I’m Dr. Peper.If you’re listening to this, you probably think AI’s interesting and important like me. But sometimes I find the concepts are a little overwhelming. I want to go over something I get asked a lot. People ask me, what is AI really, how does it work? Actually, there’re new things going on with how AI works. So, it’s good to go over some of the basic concepts in order to understand the way AI is changing.How does AI work?Artificial Intelligence happens with computers. They’re programed using algorithms. Algorithms are step by step instructions telling the computer what to do to solve a problem. Just like a recipe has specific steps you follow in sequence, to bake a cake, or cook something. Computer scientist write algorithms using a programming language the computer understands. These computer languages have strange names like Python or C plus, plus.The computers also perform math calculations or computations to analyze the information and give an answer. This is known as computational analysis. Basically, the programing language and math calculations are computer software. Using this software, the algorithms come up with an answer from data sets fed into the computer.Machine Learning is a type of AIThe major AI being used today is called machine learning. Machine learning is carried out by artificial neural networks, or nets for short. Neural nets underpin the most advanced artificial intelligence being used today. They’re called neural networks because they’re based in part on the way neurons in the brain function. In the brain the neuron receives inputs or information, processes the information, and then gives a result or output.Artificial intelligence uses digital models of brain neurons. These are artificial neurons, based on the computer binary code of ones and zeros. The digital neurons process information and then pass it along to other higher layers of processing. Higher, meaning the results become more specific, just like in the brain.Deep Learning is a type of...