The Evolution and Pitfalls of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered by many as the new kid on the block, but in reality, it’s more of an elderly person. Significantly, few people realize that the AI drive we’re experiencing today started around the Second World War. Back then, people such as Vannevar Bush, John von Neumann, and Claude Shannon were very much toying with different ideas that eventually led to the creation of today’s modern computers. However, it was Alan Turing, the famous British mathematician, who, after using a rudimentary computer during the war, started visualizing the potential of AI. After the Second World War, many other scientists came on board and eventually created the field of AI. The initial drive was toward using algorithms capable of manipulating symbols (such as alphanumeric characters) but eventually, these techniques hit a brick wall. In the past three decades, we have seen a steady shift toward a different kind of AI, called...