Defining intelligent applications

Traditional applications typically consist of a client-side user interface, a server-side backend, and a database for data storage and retrieval. They perform tasks following a strict set of instructions. Intelligent applications require a client, server, and database as well, but they augment the traditional stack with AI components.

Intelligent applications stand out by understanding complex, unstructured data to enable natural, adaptive interactions and decision-making. Intelligent applications can engage in open-ended interactions, generate novel content, and make autonomous decisions.

Examples of intelligent applications include the following:

• Chatbots that provide natural language responses based on external data using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). For example, Perplexity.ai (https://www.perplexity.ai/) is an AI-powered search engine and chatbot that provides users with AI-generated answers to their queries based on sources...