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As Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professor Max Tegmark pointed out, “there’s no agreement on what intelligence (AI) is even among intelligent intelligence researchers” (Tegmark 5, 2017). This statement relates to the interdisciplinarity of the subject, and the rapid developments of the technology itself.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) "is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable [emphasis added] " (McCarthy, n.d.).
John McCarthy is considered the Father of AI; please take a look at the Stamford University’s website created to honor his extraordinary accomplishments in Computer Science at: http://jmc.stanford.edu/index.html
There are three ways in which the term AI is being used:
1. Describing the core concept. Machines independently solve complex tasks with human-like cognitive abilities.
2. As a term for the research, that aims to make this concept a reality. AI as a field of study has a variety of subfields, including:
* Natural Language Process.
* Robotics
* Computer Vision
* And others, that involve intelligent behavior & learning in machines.
* Also: AI Ethics, Regulation & Legislation
3. As an umbrella term for various technologies that are manifestations of the AI concept, such as perspectives from psychology, philosophy, mathematics and so on. These technologies range from basic algorithms to advanced systems like Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Large Language Models. Each of these has a unique way of processing data and learning from it. But they all share the purpose to solve complex tasks on a cognitive level equal to humans.
References
McCarthy, J. (n.d.). What is AI? Basic Questions. Professor John McCarthy. Retrieved April 21, 2025 from http://jmc.stanford.edu/artificial-intelligence/what-is-ai/index.html
Tegmark, M. 2017. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. London: Penguin Books.