ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

A Gentle, Jargon-Free Introduction

K. RaghunathanChartered Engineer

FIETE, MIE, MCSI, MISTE, MISTD, MIIMMRetd Dy Controller (R&D)

Section 1

What is AI ?

• Study/Science of –Intelligent Machines

–Making Machines Intelligent

AI & Computers

• Computers seem to have some Intelligence– Solve Math problems [Arithmetic, Algebra, Calculus,

Geometry etc]– Do text processing– Control Eqpt & Processes in Industry– Communicate

• Natural Belief : computers can be made more intelligent

• So, AI is considered a Branch of Computer Science

Machines & Humans

• Right from Cavemen, humans are inventing new Tools, Instruments & Machines– To do all our hard work– Even for entertainment– To reduce/avoid our physical/mental strain

Human Tasks

• What are our everyday tasks ?

– Professional

– Personal

Functions of our Sensory Organs

• Eye– See

• Ear– Hear

• Tongue / Mouth– Taste, Speak

• Nose– Smell, Breathe

• Skin / Limbs– Feel, do Physical Work – Walk, Climb, Lift, Throw, Eat etc

Sixth Sense

• Comprehend [Understand]– Vision– Language

• Remember

• Plan

• Decide

• Learn

• Emote

Brain & Mind

• Concrete & Abstract

• Tangible & Intangible

• Similar to Computer

• Like Hardware & Software

What we still do ourselves ?

• Logical Thinking & Reasoning

• Making wise decisions – often with Incomplete, Vague & Uncertain

facts at hand

AI attempts to fill this gap

Intelligent Machines

• Machines that can– Think– Decide– Solve– Plan– Learn

• Thinking Machines

• Artificial Intelligence

Can Machines Think ?

• Some believe so & some don’t

• What Level of Intelligence will make a Machine qualify as Intelligent Machine or Thinking Machine ?

• The Turing Test

The Turing Test

The Turing Test

• A machine can be deemed intelligent

• If it can make a human think that

• he/she is talking to a human

• & not to a machine

Intelligent Machines

• A machine can be considered Intelligent

• if it can solve complex problems

• requiring a high level of intelligence

• normally found only in human beings

AI – Science or Art ?• Science

– Multi-disciplinary & Inter-disciplinary

• Art– Very Intricate Fine Art– Like Painting & Sculpting

• Science– involves designing machines

• Art– involves programming

Inputs to AI

• Maths [Symbolic Logic]• Physiology [Working of Body Parts of Living

Organisms] • Philosophy & Psychology [Human Logic &

Behaviour]• Cognitive Science [Perception, Understanding]• Cybernetics [Communication & Control in

Animals & Machines]• Electronics [Making Machines]• Computer Science [Programming the Machine's

Behaviour]

AI’s Output

• Used by almost all Sciences– Including Computer Science

• Maximum dependency on AI– Robotics & Neural Networks– Considered part of AI

Section 2

Back to Square One

What is Intelligence ?

Let us have your Opinions please

Intelligence

• Abstract

• Eludes accurate, comprehensive definition

• Easier to understood than to define

• Seems to be directly proportional to Knowledge

Intelligence (cont’d)

• The Albert Einstein Anecdote

Intelligence (contd)

• Knowledge [Lots of it !]

• Ability to put knowledge to use

• Pertains to what we can do with our 5 Senses

• Pertains more to what we can do with our 6th Sense !

What is Knowledge ?

Anybody wish to define ?

Knowledge

• Abstract

• Eludes accurate, comprehensive definition

• Easier to understand than to define

• AI has to deal with various aspects of Knowledge

Knowledge (contd)

• Classification• Representation [including Storage in

Computer Memory]• Acquisition [Learning]• Manipulation

– Searching & Matching – Reasoning [Inference, Drawing Conclusions,

Decision Making, Problem Solving]

• Planning

Classification of Knowledge

• Factual or Procedural

• Certain or Uncertain

• Consistent or Inconsistent [vary with time, place, person or situation]

• Well-Defined [Crisp] or Vague [Fuzzy]

• Complete or Incomplete [Partial]

Reasoning Techniques

• Depend on the Type of Knowledge being dealt with

• Certain, consistent & crisp : Predicate Logic

• Uncertain : Probablistic Reasoning• Inconsistent : Truth Maintenance Systems• Fuzzy : Fuzzy Logic• Partial : Statistical & Probablistic

Reasoning

Reasoning Techniques (cont’d)

• Ad hoc Methods

– Closed World Assumption– Circumscription– Abductive Reasoning– Modal & Temporal Logics

Learning Methods

• By Rote [by Reading]

• By being Taught

• From Experience

• By Analogy [From Examples]

• By Drawing Conclusions– From other known Facts

What Humans are Good at

An Interactive Experiment

1

2

What Humans are Good at

• Humans seem to be good at – Reasoning with Uncertain, Fuzzy & Partial

Knowledge– Learning from Experience & Examples

• AI Research pays more attention to these Areas

AI Techniques

• Procedures & Algorithms employed in AI• Compared to those used in other Sciences

– Not merely Formulae– Use different approaches– More efficient, effective & intelligent– Profuse use of Heuristics

• Heuristic– “Educated Guess”– Born out of Past Experience

Heuristics

- An Interactive Experiment

[opening a book at a desired page]

Heuristic Search Techniques

• Many Methods available

• Most Noteworthy are:– A*– MiniMax with Alpha-Beta Pruning

Expert Systems&

Decision Support Systems

• A Speciality of AI

• Very High Level of Intelligence & Domain Knowledge

• a Level normally found only in Experts in that Field

Expert Systems

Knowledge

Base

Search

Engine

Match

Logic

Inference

Logic

User

Inter

face

Query

Response

Section 3

Miscellaneous Topics

• Miscellaneous, but nevertheless Essential

• Automation– Useful in Hazardous Environs

• Computer Vision– Object Recognition

• Natural Language Processing• Pattern Recognition & Pattern Classification

– Data Mining, Image Processing• Guide/Help/Rescue• Weather/Business Forecasting• Neural Networks

Vision

• Object Recognition

• Range Estimation

• Emotion Recognition

Natural Language Processing

• Vocabulary

• Ambiguity– Human Languages are Context-Sensitive– One word having many meanings– Many words having same/similar meaning– Accent varies from place to place

• Real Life Examples

• Feelings/Emotions

AI Milestones

• Too many to list here

• Early days of AI– Mycin - Medical Diagnosis– R - Design of Computer HW Architecture– Deep Blue - Chess Champion– Eliza - Conversationist– Racter - Writes Books

AI Milestones (2)

• Modern days:

• Expert Systems & Decision Support Systems in a wide range of fields– especially Medicine, Finance & Entertainment

• Wide range of Medical Eqpt - CAT Scan etc• Analysis & Prediction - Economics, Stockmarket,

Agriculture, Genetics, Elections• 3D Computer Games & Walk-throughs• Helpful Robots - Rescue, Operating in

Hazardous environments

AI Milestones (3)

• Spell-Check & Word Completion

facility in Text Processing Programs

• Voice Commands to open/close files etc

• Programs to read text, to teach Languages

• 3D & Walk-Through Games/Presentations

Basic Hurdle• Intelligent Machine = Thinking Machine

• To make a machine think, act & react like a human:

• We should first understand how humans think, act & react

• Why a person thinks, acts & reacts in a particular way

• Why different persons think, act & react differently

• Why same person thinks, acts & reacts differently at different times, even if situations are similar

Basic Hurdle (cont’d)

• Real life examples– Bernard Shaw & Isadora Duncan Episode– Once I took my wife to a movie ….

Basic Hurdle (cont’d)

• Unfortunate Reality for AI scientists • God Almighty has a habit of making

humans – so varied, – so un-understandable – so unpredictable !

• Given such a starting point– How are we going to make machines that

would behave like humans ?

Basic Hurdle (cont’d)

• Everyone says “AI is a difficult subject".– Not only Students, even Faculty say so– except the Enthusiastic & Optimistic AI

Researcher, of course

• The Ground Reality is:– Humans are so difficult to understand !

• WE are our own Hurdles !

Concluding Remarks

• In spite of the Enormity of the Obstacles, AI marches ahead, relentlessly

• The progress is slow• New Findings & Achievements are Sporadic, few

& far between• But that is no reason to lose hope

– We have achieved many things, which were once considered impossible

– We have set foot on the Moon

• Let us hope that one day we will see The Ultimate Intelligent Machine

Any Questions ?

Thank You !