Cambridge International AS and A level IT
True artificial intelligence can also be learnt from actions taken and modifying behaviour based on them. This can give the illusion that a computer can think, but in fact it is still responding to programmed elements. A simple example of artificial intelligence is an opponent in a game of Tic-Tac-Toe/Noughts and Crosses. If you were to place an ‘X’ in two corners, a computer would know to place its ‘O’ in-between your ‘X’s, in order to prevent you from winning. This is a very low-level example of artificial intelligence. A well-known example of artificial intelligence is the computer system Deep Blue. Deep Blue is a computer that plays chess. The more chess Deep Blue played, the better it became at chess. This is because it was able to learn from the errors it made in previous chess games and become a better chess player as a result. It became so intelligent that it was the first computer ever to beat a world chess champion at the game.
192
However, artificial intelligence is not without its issues:
• In the case of self-driving cars, there is a debate about
•
•
who should pay in the event of an accident on the road, where the self-driving car is at fault. Should the user have to pay? Should the company who made the car have to pay? This issue is as yet unresolved. Voice activated systems are improving, but they still suffer from lots of input errors. If artificial intelligence is dependent on a voice-activated system, it will be limited by the ability of this system. Artificial intelligence is only as good as its programming. If there are errors in the programs that allow the intelligence to be created, then it will not operate correctly.
More recently, artificial intelligence has emerged in the market of self-driving cars. Car manufacturer Tesla recently released their line of autopilot cars. These are cars that are able to automatically change lanes, maintain speed and slow down if they sense they are approaching another car. The chief executive officer (CEO) of Tesla has stated that this is not a fully self-driving car but that in perhaps five years’ time such a car will have been developed. Artificial intelligence is even in most of our phones today. Applications such as Siri and Google Now are examples of artificial intelligence. They can help with tasks such as searching the web and setting up calendar events, all from simple voice commands. Artificial intelligence has already had a wide impact on our lives:
Figure 11.02 - Inside a Tesla Autopilot car.
DISCUSSION POINT Many people find the concept of allowing a computer to be responsible for major tasks, such as driving a car, an extremely scary prospect. What do you think about placing your life in the hands of a computer?
• Those with disabilities can use voice-activated systems, •
• •
such as Siri or Google Now, to search the web, message family and friends and more. The development of self-driving cars may mean that those with disabilities will also be able to travel independently in a car. It may also make the task of driving a car safer, by removing the element of human error. The level of entertainment provided by games is much greater. This is because an enemy or opponent in a game can be made more challenging to beat. It can be used to create expert systems that allow easy diagnosis or problem solving of issues that require expert knowledge.
11.05 Augmented reality Remember Augmented reality is where technology overlays computer-generated images onto the real world. It works by taking signals from the real world using a camera. It then checks to see if there is a point in the camera image that is telling it to draw an image on screen.
Imagine using your phone’s camera to take a picture of a sign in a foreign language that you cannot read. The camera uses image processing to understand what is written on the sign. It then uses a translation tool to