AI (Artificial Intelligence) Words You Need To Know
In 1956, John McCarthy setup a ten-week research project at Dartmouth University that was focused on a new concept he called “artificial intelligence.” The event included many of the researchers who would become giants in the emerging field, like Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester, Allen Newell, O.G. Selfridge, Raymond Solomonoff, and Claude Shannon.
Yet the reaction to the phrase artificial intelligence was mixed. Did it really explain the technology? Was there a better way to word it?
Well, no one could come up with something better–and so AI stuck.
Since then, we’ve seen the coining of plenty of words in the category, which often define complex technologies and systems. The result is that it can be tough to understand what is being talked about.
So to help clarify things, let’s take a look at the AI words you need to know:
From Kurt Muehmel, who is a VP Sales Engineer at Dataiku:
A series of computations, from the most simple (long division using pencil and paper), to the most complex. For example, machine learning uses an algorithm to process data, discover rules that are hidden in the data, and that are then encoded in a “model” that can be used to make predictions on new data.
From Dr. Hossein Rahnama, who is the co-founder and CEO of Flybits:
Traditional programming involves specifying a sequence of instructions that dictate to the computer exactly what to do. Machine learning, on the other hand, is a different programming paradigm wherein the engineer provides examples comprising what the expected output of the program should be for a given input. The machine learning system then explores the set of all possible computer programs in order to find the program that most closely generates the expected output for the corresponding input data. Thus, with this programming paradigm, the engineer does not need to figure out how to instruct the computer to accomplish a task, provided they have a sufficient number of examples for the system to identify the correct program in the search space.
From Dan Grimm, who is the VP and General Manager of Computer Vision at RealNetworks:
Neural networks are mathematical constructs that mimic the structure of the human brain to summarize complex information into simple, tangible results. Much like we train the human brain to, for example, learn to control our bodies in order to walk, these networks also need to be trained with significant amounts of data. Over the last five years, there have been tremendous advancements in the layering of these networks and the compute power available to train them.
From Sheldon Fernandez, who is the CEO of DarwinAI:
Deep Learning is a specialized form of Machine Learning, based on neural networks that emulate the cognitive capabilities of the human mind. Deep Learning is to Machine Learning what Machine Learning is to AI–not the only manifestation of its parent, but generally the most powerful and eye-catching version. In practice, deep learning networks capable of performing sophisticated tasks are 1.) many layers deep with millions, sometimes, billions of inputs (hence the ‘deep’); 2.) trained using real world examples until they become proficient at the prevailing task (hence the ‘learning’).
From Michael Beckley, who is the CTO and founder of Appian:
Explainability is knowing why AI rejects your credit card charge as fraud, denies your insurance claim, or confuses the side of a truck with a cloudy sky. Explainability is necessary to build trust and transparency into AI-powered software. The power and complexity of AI deep learning can make predictions and decisions difficult to explain to both customers and regulators. As our understanding of potential bias in data sets used to train AI algorithms grows, so does our need for greater explainability in our AI systems. To meet this challenge, enterprises can use tools like Low Code Platforms to put a human in the loop and govern how AI is used in important decisions.
