Lecture Four: Introduction to AI

Dr. Hiba Jabbar Aleqabie

1. Definition of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that focuses on creating systems
capable of performing tasks that normally require human intelligence. These tasks include
learning, reasoning, problem-solving, understanding natural language, perception, and decision-
making.

AI systems aim to simulate intelligent behavior rather than replicate the human brain exactly.
The goal is to build machines that can act rationally and adapt to their environment based on
data and experience.

Arabic Summary:

‫الذكاء االصطناعي هو فرع من علوم الحاسوب يهدف إلى بناء أنظمة ذكية قادرة على أداء مهام تحتاج عادة ً إلى ذكاء بشري‬
‫ بل محاكاة السلوك الذكي واتخاذ قرارات مناسبة‬،‫ الهدف مو تقليد الدماغ‬.‫ وفهم اللغة‬،‫ حل المشكالت‬،‫ التفكير‬،‫مثل التعلّم‬.

2. History and Evolution of Artificial Intelligence

2.1 Early Foundations

The concept of artificial intelligence dates back to the 1940s and 1950s with the development of
early computers. In 1950, Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test as a way to determine whether
a machine could exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from a human.

The term Artificial Intelligence was officially introduced in 1956 during the Dartmouth
Conference, marking the birth of AI as a scientific field.

Arabic Summary:

‫ اختبار تورنغ كان أول محاولة لتحديد إذا‬.‫بدأت فكرة الذكاء االصطناعي مع تطور الحواسيب في األربعينات والخمسينات‬
‫ انولد مجال الذكاء االصطناعي رسميًا‬1956 ‫ وفي‬.‫اآللة تقدر تتصرف بذكاء مثل اإلنسان‬.
2.2 Symbolic AI and Expert Systems

During the 1950s to 1970s, AI research focused on symbolic reasoning and rule-based systems.
Expert systems were developed to mimic decision-making abilities of human experts using
predefined rules.

However, these systems faced limitations due to their inability to learn and adapt, as well as
limited computational power.

Arabic Summary:

‫ األنظمة الخبيرة كانت تقلد قرارات اإلنسان لكن بدون‬.‫بهالفترة كان الذكاء االصطناعي يعتمد على القواعد المنطقية الجاهزة‬
‫ ولهذا فشلت مع المشاكل المعقدة‬،‫تعلّم حقيقي‬.

2.3 AI Winter

From the late 1970s to the 1990s, AI research experienced several periods of decline known as
AI Winters. These occurred due to unmet expectations, lack of data, and insufficient computing
resources.

Arabic Summary:

‫ فدخل‬،‫ وقلة البيانات وضعف األجهزة‬،‫صار تراجع كبير باالهتمام بالذكاء االصطناعي بسبب ضعف النتائج مقارنة بالتوقعات‬
‫المجال بفترة ركود‬.

2.4 Modern AI Era

Since the 2000s, AI has experienced rapid growth due to advances in machine learning, deep
learning, big data, and powerful hardware such as GPUs. Modern AI systems have achieved
remarkable success in image recognition, speech recognition, medical diagnosis, and
autonomous systems.

Arabic Summary:

‫ ونجح‬،‫ وخوارزميات تعلّم متقدمة‬،‫ معالجات قوية‬،‫النهضة الحديثة للذكاء االصطناعي صارت بسبب توفر بيانات ضخمة‬
‫ والترجمة‬،‫ الرؤية الحاسوبية‬،‫بمجاالت مثل الطب‬.
3. Types of Artificial Intelligence

3.1 Narrow AI (Weak AI)

Narrow AI refers to systems designed to perform a specific task or a narrow range of tasks.
These systems do not possess general intelligence and cannot operate beyond their predefined
domain.

Examples include recommendation systems, virtual assistants, and facial recognition systems.

Arabic Summary:

‫ الـ‬Narrow AI ،‫ مثل التوصية أو التعرف على الوجوه‬،‫ مخصص لمهمة وحدة فقط‬،‫هو الذكاء االصطناعي المستخدم حاليًا‬
‫وما عنده فهم عام أو وعي‬.

3.2 General AI (AGI)

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to machines that can understand, learn, and apply
intelligence across a wide range of tasks, similar to human cognitive abilities.

AGI remains a theoretical concept and has not yet been achieved.

Arabic Summary:

‫ الـ‬General AI ‫ لكنه لحد اآلن غير‬،‫ يقدر يتعلم أي شيء ويعمم المعرفة‬،‫هو ذكاء اصطناعي بقدرات شاملة مثل اإلنسان‬
‫موجود فعليًا‬.

3.3 Strong AI (Super AI)

Strong AI describes a hypothetical form of intelligence that surpasses human intelligence. It

This type of AI is mainly discussed in philosophical and ethical contexts.

Arabic Summary:

‫ الـ‬Strong AI ‫ وهو مفهوم مستقبلي نظري أكثر من‬،‫ عنده وعي ذاتي وقدرة تفكير مستقلة‬،‫هو ذكاء متفوق على اإلنسان‬
‫كونه واقعي‬.
4. AI vs Traditional Programming

4.1 Traditional Programming

In traditional programming, the programmer explicitly defines the rules. The system follows
these rules to process input data and produce output.

Rules + Data → Output

This approach works well for clearly defined problems but struggles with complex or uncertain
environments.

Arabic Summary:

‫ لكنها تفشل ويا التعقيد والتغير‬،‫ تنجح بالمشاكل البسيطة‬.‫البرمجة التقليدية تعتمد على قواعد يكتبها المبرمج يدويًا‬.

4.2 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

In AI-based systems, especially machine learning, the system learns patterns and rules from
data rather than being explicitly programmed.

Data + Output → Model

These systems improve performance through experience and adapt to new data.

Arabic Summary:

‫ ولهذا يناسب المشاكل المعقدة‬،‫ ويصير أذكى مع الوقت‬،‫بالذكاء االصطناعي النظام يتعلم من البيانات بدل ما نكتب له القواعد‬.

4.3 Comparison Summary

Traditional programming relies on fixed logic, while AI systems rely on learning and adaptation.
AI is more flexible and scalable, especially in real-world applications involving uncertainty.

Arabic Summary:

‫ ولهذا صار أساس التكنولوجيا الحديثة‬،‫ بينما الذكاء االصطناعي يتعلم ويتكيف‬،‫الفرق األساسي أن البرمجة التقليدية ثابتة‬.

References

Russell, S., & Norvig, P. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Pearson