Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a concept defined as the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings, such as reasoning, learning, and decision-making. The concept of using computer technology to simulate thinking was first described by Alan Turing in 1950. The term "artificial intelligence" was coined by John McCarthy in 1955, and the field was formally founded at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956. The initial problem it solved was demonstrating that a system composed of matter could have the properties of mind, with the first AI program, Logic Theorist, proving theorems in Principia Mathematica.
Modern AI primarily works through machine learning (ML), a core mechanism where systems learn from large datasets and identify patterns through algorithms without being explicitly programmed. A key subfield is deep learning, which uses a neural network to mimic the human brain's learning process. The field has changed significantly in the 21st century with the rise of Generative AI models, such as Large Language Models (LLMs), which use the transformer architecture (introduced in 2017) to create original content like text and images, moving beyond just prediction.
For an informed reader in India, AI connects directly to the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (or #AIForAll) released by NITI Aayog in 2018, which focuses on applying AI in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and education. More recently, the Cabinet approved the India AI Mission on March 7, 2024, which aims to democratize access to computational resources and foster indigenous AI capabilities.