1. COMP3710 Artificial Intelligence Thompson Rivers University
A Brief History of AI
COMP3710 Artificial Intelligence
Computing Science
Thompson Rivers University

2. Course Outline Part I – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence
Uses and Limitations
Part II – Classical Artificial Intelligence
Part III – Machine Learning
Part IV – Some Advanced Topics
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

3. Learning Outcomes Define what AI is Distinguish strong AI and weak AI
Distinguish strong methods and weak methods
Explain what the Turing test is
List important study areas in AI
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

4. Reference Chapter 1. A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

5. Unit Outline What is AI? Strong methods and weak methods
Alan Turing and the 1950s
The 1960s to the 1990s
...
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

6. 1.2 What is AI A more difficult question is: What is intelligence?
This question has puzzled philosophers, biologists and psychologists for centuries.
Artificial Intelligence is easier to define, although there is no standard, accepted definition.
A simple definition might be as follows:
Artificial intelligence is the study of systems that act in a way that to any observer would appear to be intelligent.
In fact, Artificial Intelligence techniques are often used to solve relatively simple problems, or complex problems that are internal to more complex systems.
This may lead us to another definition of Artificial Intelligence, as follows:
Artificial Intelligence involves using methods based on the intelligent behavior of humans and other animals to solve complex problems.
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

7. 1.2 What is AI - cont Strong AI Weak AI: What is your opinion?
One can create a computer that can literally think and is conscious in the same way that a human is conscious.
This is the view that a sufficiently programmed computer would actually be intelligent and would think in the same way that a human does.
Weak AI:
Intelligent behavior can be modeled and used by computers to solve complex problems.
This is the use of methods modeled on intelligent behavior to make computers more efficient at solving problems.
What is your opinion?
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

8. 1.3 Strong Methods and Weak Methods
Strong method problem solving depends on a system being given a great deal of real knowledge about its world and the problems that is might encounter.
Strong methods use knowledge about the world to solve problems.
Weak methods use systems such as logic, automated reasoning, and other general structures that can be applied to a wide range of problems but that do not necessarily incorporate any real knowledge about the world of the problem.
Weak methods use logic and other symbolic systems.
Are strong methods enough to implement an intelligent system?
Are weak methods enough to implement an intelligent system?
Strong method systems rely on weak methods, as knowledge is useless without a way to handle that knowledge.
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

9. 1.5 Alan Turing and the 1950s
Alan Turing (1950) "Computing machinery and intelligence":
"Can machines think?"  "Can machines behave intelligently?"
The Turing Test was designed as a way to judge the success or otherwise of an attempt to produce a thinking computer.
Predicted that by 2000, a machine might have a 30% chance of fooling a lay person for 5 minutes
What do you think?
But no system has yet passed the Turing Test.
Is the Turing Test enough to test whether a given system is intelligent?
Required capabilities???
Natural language processing
Knowledge representation
Automated reasoning
Machine learning
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

10. 1.5 Alan Turing and the 1950s - cont
Around this time, in the 1950’s, systems were being developed that could play checkers, engage in conversation and solve other problems.
The term Artificial Intelligence was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy at a conference.
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI

11. 1.6 The 1960s to the 1990s
Since the 1950s, a great deal of the original optimism has gone out of AI and has been replaced with a degree of realism.
Areas of particular importance
Machine learning
Multi-agent systems
Artificial life
Computer vision
Planning
Playing games
Recently AI has been in the spotlight due to the evolution of hardware.
TRU-COMP3710
A Brief History of AI