Topic 1:Introduction
to Artificial
Intelligence
Term 2-ARTI 106
Computer Track
2025-2026
Learning outcomes
The main learning objectives of this topic are:
❑ Define and give examples of the basic concepts of AI.
❑ Identify the goals of AI.
❑ Identify the approaches to AI.
❑ Identify problems where AI techniques are applicable.
Outlines
❑What is the AI?
❑Approaches to AI
❑A short history of AI.
❑Applications of AI.
❑Main topics in AI.
❑Challenges and Risks of AI.
What is intelligence?
❑ Intelligence is the ability to learn about, to learn from, to understand about, and interact
with one’s environment.
❑ Intelligence is the ability of understanding.
❑ Intelligence is not to make no mistakes but quickly to understand how to make them good.
(German Poet)
Characteristics of Intelligence
(1) Ability to Communicate (2) Creativity
(3) Internal Knowledge (4) Ability to Learn
(5) Perceive World Knowledge (6) Goal-Directed Behavior
(7) Self Awareness
A Hierarchical Model of Intelligence
Wisdom
+ Vision
Knowledge
Information
+ Experience
Data + Context
What Is Artificial Intelligence (1)?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human
intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and
learn like humans. It involves the development of
algorithms and computer programs that can perform tasks
which typically require human intelligence, such as visual
perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and
language translation.
What Is Artificial Intelligence (2)?
❑ AI is the reproduction of the methods or results of human
reasoning or intuition.
❑ Artificial Intelligence is a branch of Computer Science
concerned with the automation of intelligent behavior.
❑ Artificial Intelligence is concerned with the design of
intelligence in an artificial device.
❑ In short, AI is a field of computer science that simulates
human performance to make a computer reasons in a manner
similar to humans.
What Intelligent System Should do?
Intelligent systems:
❑ Should have the ability to automatically perform tasks that
normally require a human expert.
❑ Should have more autonomy: less requirement for human
intervention or monitoring.
❑ Should have flexibility in dealing with variability in the
environment in an appropriate manner.
❑ Should be easier to use: they are able to understand what the
user wants from limited instructions.
❑ Can improve their performance by learning from experience.
Test your knowledge…
❑ Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of intelligent systems?
A. The ability to perform tasks requiring human expertise
B. Dependence on constant human monitoring
C. Flexibility to handle variability in the environment
D. Capability to improve performance through learning
❑ What enables intelligent systems to be easier to use?
A. Advanced hardware specifications
B. Ability to understand user intent from limited instructions
C. Regular updates and upgrades
D. Continuous human supervision
Four Approaches to AI
The Four Approaches to
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
•Artificial Intelligence can be
defined in different ways
•These definitions lead to four
main approaches
•Proposed by Russell & Norvig
How to Achieve AI?
THOUGHT Systems that think Systems that think
like humans rationally
BEHAVIOUR Systems that act Systems that act
like humans rationally
HUMAN RATIONAL
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Can a machine be truly “intelligent”? : Turing’s Test
❑ AI systems that behave like humans. If a machine acts like a human, it is considered
intelligent.
The Turing test is composed of :
❑ An interrogator (a person who will ask questions)
❑ A computer (intelligent machine !!)
❑ A person who will answer to questions
❑ A curtain (separator)
Example: You enter a room which has a computer terminal. You have a fixed period of time
to type what you want into the terminal and study the replies. At the other end of the line
is either a human being or a computer system.
If it is a computer system, and at the end of the period you cannot reliably determine
whether it is a system or a human, then the system is deemed to be intelligent.
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Turing’s Test…Example
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Turing’s Test…Example
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Turing’s Test…Example
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Turing’s Test…Example
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Turing’s Test…Example
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Turing’s Test…Example
Systems that act like humans
What would a computer need to pass the Turing test?
❑ The Turing Test approach :
❑ a human questioner cannot tell if there is a computer or a human answering his question, via
teletype (remote communication).
❑ The computer must behave intelligently.
❑ Intelligent behavior means achieve human-level performance in all cognitive tasks.
❑ Passing Turing test requires the computer to have the following capabilities:
– Natural language processing
• for communication with human
– Knowledge representation
• to store information effectively & efficiently
– Automated reasoning
• to retrieve & answer questions using the stored information
– Machine learning
• to adapt to new circumstances
Test your knowledge…
❑ The Turing Test involves a scenario where a human questioner cannot tell if they
are interacting with a _______ or a _______ through remote communication,
such as a _______.
❑ To pass the Turing Test, a computer must demonstrate _______ behavior,
achieving human-level performance in all _______ tasks.
❑ This requires capabilities like _______ for communication, _______ to store
information, _______ to retrieve and answer questions, and _______ to adapt
to new circumstances.
Systems that act like humans
What would a computer need to pass the Turing test?
However, the Turing test excludes direct physical
contact between the machine and the tester. The Total
Turing Test incorporates perceptual abilities and the
ability of the person being questioned to manipulate
objects. It brings forward two more requirements:
– Computer vision :to perceive objects (seeing)
– Robotics :to move objects (acting)
Acting Humanly (Turing Test)
Can a machine be truly “intelligent”? : Turing’s Test
Real Examples:
❑ Chatbots and virtual assistants:
Systems designed to converse naturally with humans.
❑ Customer support chatbots:
Used by banks and telecom companies to interact like human agents.
❑ Social robots:
Robots that use facial expressions, speech, and gestures to appear human-like.
The focus is on human-like behavior
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
THOUGHT Systems that think Systems that think
like humans rationally
BEHAVIOUR Systems that act Systems that act
like humans rationally
HUMAN RATIONAL
Systems that think like humans:
cognitive modeling
❑ AI systems that think the same way humans think.
❑ It is focused on:
❖ Human brain processes:
This approach try to get “inside” minds. This involves trying to understand human thought
and an effort to build machines that emulate human.
❖ Psychology and cognitive science:
Combination of computer models from AI and experimental techniques from psychology to
construct precise and testable theories of human mind.
Limitations
❖ Humans don’t behave rationally.
❖ The reverse engineering is very hard to do.
❖ The brain’s “hardware” is very different to a computer program.
Systems that think like humans:
cognitive modeling
Real Examples:
❑ ACT-R (Adaptive Control of Thought–Rational)
Used in cognitive science to model how humans learn, remember, and
solve problems.
❑ Human problem-solving simulations
AI models that replicate how people solve puzzles or make decisions step
by step.
❑ Intelligent tutoring systems
Systems that model a student’s thinking process to adapt teaching
strategies.
These systems try to imitate human mental processes
How to Achieve AI?
THOUGHT Systems that think Systems that think
like humans rationally
BEHAVIOUR Systems that act Systems that act
like humans rationally
HUMAN RATIONAL
Systems that think ‘rationally’:
Laws of thought approach
❑ AI systems that think logically and rationally.
❑ But, humans are not always ‘rational’.
❑ This approach is related to LOGIC, suggesting that logical rules form the mental mind of humans.
❑ This approach represent facts about the world via logic.
❖ Syllogism:
Example: Socrates is a man %Fact
All men are mortal % Rule if X is a Man, then X is Mortal
Therefore
Socrates is mortal % Inference
❖ How it works:
❑ Use mathematical logic and apply rules to reach conclusions.
❖ Limitations:
❑ It is not easy to take informal knowledge and state it in the formal terms required by logical
notation, particularly when the knowledge is less than 100% certain.
❑ Big difference between solving problem in principal and solving it in practice.
Systems that think ‘rationally’:
Laws of thought approach
Real Examples:
❑ Medical expert systems
Systems that diagnose diseases using logical rules.
❑ Rule-based legal reasoning systems
Apply laws and regulations using formal logic.
❑ Knowledge-based systems
Use IF-THEN rules to reason logically.
These systems rely on formal reasoning
How to Achieve AI?
THOUGHT Systems that think Systems that think
like humans rationally
BEHAVIOUR Systems that act Systems that act
like humans rationally
HUMAN RATIONAL
Systems that act rationally:
“Rational agent”
❑ AI systems that act to achieve the best outcome.
❑ Choose actions that maximize performance.
❑ A Rational behavior involves making the right decisions or
taking the appropriate actions which is expected to maximize
goal’s achievement, given the available information.
❑ “Acting” rationally means acting to achieve one's goals.
❑ The Rational Agent: is an agent that acts to achieve the best
outcome or best expected outcome if there is uncertainty.
Systems that act rationally:
“Rational agent”
Real Examples:
❑ Autonomous vehicles
Decide when to brake, accelerate, or turn to maximize safety.
❑ Game-playing AI
Chess and strategy AI that choose optimal moves.
❑ Recommendation systems
Suggest products or content to maximize user satisfaction.
❑ Robotics in warehouses
Robots that plan efficient paths to move goods.
They focus on optimal decisions, not human imitation.
Relations to Other Fields
❑ Philosophy
❑ Logic, methods of reasoning and rationality.
❑ Mathematics
❑ Formal representation and proof, algorithms, computation, (un)decidability, (in)tractability,
probability.
❑ Economics
❑ utility, decision theory (decide under uncertainty)
❑ Neuroscience
❑ neurons as information processing units.
❑ Psychology/Cognitive Science
❑ how do people behave, perceive, process information, represent knowledge.
❑ Computer engineering
❑ building fast computers
❑ Control theory
❑ design systems that maximize an objective function over time
❑ Linguistics
❑ knowledge representation, grammar
A (Short) History of AI
1940-1950: Early days
❑ 1943: McCulloch & Pitts: Boolean circuit model of brain
❑ 1950: Turing's “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”
1950—70: Excitement: Look, Ma, no hands!
❑ 1950s: Early AI programs: chess, checkers program, theorem proving
❑ 1956: Dartmouth meeting: “Artificial Intelligence” adopted
❑ 1965: Robinson's complete algorithm for logical reasoning
1970—90: Knowledge-based approaches
❑ 1969—79: Early development of knowledge-based systems
❑ 1980—88: Expert systems industry booms
❑ 1988—93: Expert systems industry busts: “AI Winter”
1990—2012: Statistical approaches + subfield expertise
❑ Resurgence of probability, focus on uncertainty
❑ General increase in technical depth
❑ Agents and learning systems… “AI Spring”?
2012—___: Excitement: Look, Ma, no hands again?
❑ Big data, big compute, neural networks
❑ Some re-unification of sub-fields
❑ AI used in many industries
Applications of AI
❑ Language translation services (Google)
❑ News aggregation and summarization (Google)
❑ Speech recognition (Nuance)
❑ Song recognition (Shazam)
❑ Face recognition (Recognizr)
❑ Image recognition (Google Goggles)
❑ Question answering (Apple Siri, IBM Watson)
❑ Chess playing (IBM Deep Blue)
❑ 3D scene modeling from images (Microsoft Photosynth)
❑ Driverless cars (Google, Tesla, etc.)
❑ Chatbot (Amy A.I.)
❑ Augmented reality travel guide (mTrip)
State of AI Systems in Practice
❑ Email communications
• Email Filters
• Smart Replies
❑ Social media
• Chatbots
• Facebook Proactive Detection
❑ Web searching
• Google Predictive Searches
• Youtube's Algorithm
❑ Stores and services
• Maps and Directions
• Product Recommendations - Amazon , Netflix
• Commercial Airline Flights
• Banking
• Digital voice assistants
The main topics in AI
❑ Knowledge representation
❑ Reasoning and automatic proving
❑ Search and optimization
❑ Problem solving
❑ Learning and understanding
❑ Pattern classification / recognition
❑ Planning
❑ Natural language processing.
❑ Expert Systems
❑ Interacting with the Environment (e.g. Vision, Speech recognition, Robotics)
Challenges and Risks of AI
Ethical concerns Job Displacement
The use of AI raises ethical concerns such as AI has the potential to automate many
privacy, bias, and accountability. As AI jobs, which could lead to significant job
systems are designed to learn from data, displacement. It is important to consider
they can maintain existing biases and the impact of AI on the workforce and
discrimination present in the data. develop strategies to support workers
Additionally, there is a lack of accountability who may be displaced by automation.
for AI systems, as it can be difficult to
determine who is responsible for their
actions.
Challenges and Risks of AI
Security Risks Biased decision making
As AI systems become more Careless or deliberate misuse of
sophisticated, they also become machine learning algorithms for tasks
more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. such as evaluating parole and loan
There is a risk that malicious actors applications can result in decisions that
could use AI systems to launch are biased by race, gender, or other
attacks or to gain access to protected categories. Often, the data
sensitive information. It is themselves reflect pervasive bias in
important to develop robust society.
security measures to protect For example: An AI system trained on past hiring
against these risks. data favors male candidates because historically
more men were hired.
Questions
1) Define intelligence.
2) Why Would You Study Artificial Intelligence?
3) What are the different approaches in defining artificial intelligence?
4) Suppose you design a machine to pass the Turing test, what are the capabilities
such a machine must have?
5) Design ten questions to pose to a man/machine that is taking the Turing test.
6) Do you think that building an artificially intelligent computer automatically shed
light on the nature of natural intelligence?
7) List 5 tasks that you will like a computer to be able to do within the next 5
years.
8) List 5 tasks that computers are unlikely to be able to do in the next 10 years.
Thank you for your attention