Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)  
 
     PLAN  
 
1) Definition  
2) Motivations and limits.  
3) Technology and applications  
4) Conclusion  
 
 
I will try to talk about Artificial Intelligence.  
 
 
First, I will give you a quick definition of A.I. :  
 
Artificial intelligence is a field of computer science that seeks to understand and implement computer based technology that can simulate characteristics of human intelligence and human sensory capabilities. The characteristics of human intelligence include learning, adapting, reasoning, self-correction, and automatic improvement.  
In fact it?s a science which deals with helping machines find solutions to complex problems in a more human-like fashion. This generally involves borrowing characteristics from human intelligence, and applying them as algorithms in a computer friendly way. A more or less flexible or efficient approach can be taken depending on the requirements established, which influences how artificial the intelligent behaviour appears.  
AI is generally associated with Computer Science, but it has many important links with other fields such as Mathematics, Psychology, Cognition, Biology and Philosophy, among many others. Our ability to combine knowledge from all these fields will ultimately benefit our progress in the quest of creating an intelligent artificial being.  
 
 
In a second part, we will talk about Motivation (Why artificial intelligence ?) and its limit.  
 
 
Computers are fundamentally well suited to performing mechanical computations, using fixed programmed rules. This allows artificial machines to perform simple monotonous tasks efficiently and reliably, which humans are ill-suited to. For more complex problems, it becomes more difficult... Unlike humans, computers have trouble understanding specific situations, and adapting to new situations. Artificial Intelligence aims to improve machine behaviour in tackling such complex tasks.  
Together with this, much of AI research is allowing us to understand our intelligent behaviour. Humans have an interesting approach to problem-solving, based on abstract thought, high-level deliberative reasoning and pattern recognition. Artificial Intelligence can help us understand this process by recreating it, then potentially enabling us to enhance it beyond our current capabilities.  
But A.I. is a very hard problem which gets limits : Currently, all the traits of human intelligence have not been captured and applied together to spawn an intelligent artificial creature. Artificial Intelligence rather seems to focus on lucrative domain specific applications, which do not necessarily require the full extent of AI capabilities. This limit of machine intelligence is known to researchers as narrow intelligence.  
There is little doubt among the community that artificial machines will be capable of intelligent thought in the near future. It's just a question of what and when... The machines may be pure silicon, quantum computers or hybrid combinations of manufactured components and neural tissue. As for the date, expect great things to happen within this century!  
 
 
In the next part, we will talk about Technology and applications of A.I.  
 
 
There are many different approaches to Artificial Intelligence, none of which are either completely right or wrong. Some are obviously more suited than others in some cases, but any working alternative can be defended. Over the past five decades, AI research has mostly been focusing on solving specific problems. Numerous solutions have been devised and improved to do so efficiently and reliably. This explains why the field of Artificial Intelligence is split into many branches, ranging from Pattern Recognition to Artificial Life, including Evolutionary Computation and Planning.  
The potential applications of Artificial Intelligence are abundant. They stretch from the military for autonomous control and target identification, to the entertainment industry for computer games and robotic pets. Lets also not forget big establishments dealing with huge amounts of information such as hospitals, banks and insurances, who can use AI to predict customer behaviour and detect trends.  
One example of I.A. application : ?I.R.? Intelligent robots, which use human sensory simulation for touch, sight, and hearing. A useful robot in use is a security robot for warehouses. They are given a internal map of the area they are to patrol. They listen for abnormal sounds, and look for intruders or fire...  
 
 
As a conclusion, I.A. research is a real hard problem, There are lots of questions we can?t answer for the moment : ?Will computers be able to become self aware in the human sense ??, ? Do humans possess a unique aspect of intelligence that can not be re-created?" or ?What degree of intelligence can be created ?? for example, ?Do AI systems know of their existence??...  
As you may expect, the business of Artificial Intelligence is becoming one of the major driving forces for research. With an ever growing market to satisfy, there's plenty of room for more personel. So if you know what you're doing, there's plenty of money to be made from interested big companies !