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AI stands for Artificial Intelligence
Its been around for longer than you might think.
AI was thrust into the public eye in late November 2022 with the release of CHATGPT.
Before that, we saw AI with: voice recognition - a company's voice response system saying, "Press or say one", IBM's mainframe computer playing chess really well, robot vacuum machines, image recognition, filtering SPAM emails, Netflix suggesting a movie you might like, etc.
What changed with AI in November, 2022 was the release of a chat-based program that could really understand your spoken or typed input (using an LLM - Large Language Model) and not just pointing you to a list of web page links for you to research and find answer for yourself but actually generate (the G in CHATGPT) an answer to your question/prompt.
Here's a link to a YouTube video that does an excellent job of explaining AI. Its medium-technical but worth watching. AI in a Nutshell.
AI will replace your standard Google Search. The one we have all been using for years. And like Google Search, it is available on your: Smartphones and Tablets and on your Personal Computer.
Also, like Google Search, it's for the most part free to use.
Some of the AI Models currently available
Unlike Google search, its not the only game in town.
There are loads of AI Models available to choose from. ChatGPT is the most recognized name, but all the major IT companies (Google, Meta [i.e. Facebook], Microsoft, IBM, Apple (Apple is slow to join) are creating their own AI Models. And the pace of improvements and development is staggering.
Multi-Modal
When they say an AI Model is multi-modal they mean it generates results in the forms of: TEXT, GRAPHICS, VIDEO and AUDIO, depending on what you ask it to do for you. Most AI Models are multi-modal.
Using AI is meant to be conversational, ergo the 'Chat' in CHATGPT.
Your input, called a Prompt, is saved and is referenced by the Chat.
Say you prompt, "take this old black and white photo of grandma and make it 'studio quality' (you have to attach the file with grandma's photo in it). You have lots of control over the generated results. This is just one default result. Images will have scratches removed and the poor quality resolution improved.
AI's promise to the world:
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the next age of mankind's development; Industrial age, information age, artificial intelligence age
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is as revolutionary as flight, modern medicine, the transistor.
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AI Models are working towards having Artificial General Intelligence
I've heard troubling things, like AI is:
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replacing jobs
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consumping huge amounts of electric power
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producing 'deep fakes'
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giving wrong answers
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further compromising our privacy
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future AI Models may have Super Intelligence that will be out of control.
Before & After
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the overarching field of making computers mimic human intelligence.
What's AI look like and how do I use it?
Its best to try it first from your PC's browser... You can even try these AI Models without even signing up for a (free) account.
Your "Prompt" - (that's your question or command) is only limited by your imagination.
Most common prompts are text to text. you enter a prompt as text and the results are returned in text.
With a text to image prompt, e.g. "create a realistic image of a bear stealing sap from a tapped maple tree". AI will produce a graphic result.
And then there are the other permutations of the modes. eg. text-to-audio, audio-to-text, video-to-text (AI can describe the video you attached to the chat).
With 4 modes (test, image, audio, video) there 16 possible request types for the standard AI model.
Pass AI the URL (web address) of a YouTube video and get a short summary of what it was all about. Ask if 'Tom Hanks' was in the video, OR ask it to give the results as if you are only 10 years of age.
Now try doing that without AI...
and here's that AI generated image of the bear stealing sap..
Note: this is NOT an image AI found on the Internet. Its completely generated.
Also notice, the image quality is off. These are the early days of AI and this is from a free version.
Don't like the generated results? change the prompt and try again. be more descriptive. ask for a style (talk to me like you're Ernest Hemingway). Tell the AI you don't agree.
Some AI models can be very conversational.
Some can remember your last interaction for weeks and let you resume your dialog many days later. (no need to repeat the previous prompts)
It's everywhere. Or it will be soon
AI is being embedded into other software. It will, or already is, embedded into your Gmail, your document editor, spreadsheet, image editor, your smartphone operating system (e.g. Android) and Google Maps. On-Line Shopping is adopting it.
AI, in the name of the AI model GROK, is deeply embedded into some Tesla cars. You can say into your phone, "take me to my dentist appointment this morning". The AI provides unimaginable driving control.
AI has shown great strides with creating video imaging. Especially with the MidJourney AI Model, TV Commercial and soon movies.
Medicine and engineering and many science disciplines are using the techniques of AI Models to make advances in their fields more rapidly. And creating their own AI models trained for their own needs.
Agentic AI
Agentic, or acting as an agent for the user, is a nascent technology of some AI models. The model does actual work for you not just produce answers and create; text, graphics, video, and audio. You might tell the agent, "Book a table for four at a local Italian spot this Friday at 7 PM. and put it in my calendar".
Agentic AI is moving heavily into voice, acting as digital concierges for clinics, salons, and automotive shops.
A voice agent handles the call by verifying the person's identity, cross-referencing live scheduling databases, applying complex clinic rules (e.g., ensuring a specific doctor is available for that exact procedure type), and updating the Electronic Health Record (EHR) dynamically.
Google I/O Conferences have tried to demonstrate this capability for years. Rarely with satisfying results. But Agentic behavior is one of the directions AI is heading.
AI Models are a new tool
The underling methods of AI, namely: Large Language Models, Machine Learning, Neural Networking, Pre-Training, Reinforcement Learning and many others are beyond the scope is this introduction to AI. But are the building blocks of AI's future.
Contact the Library and express your thoughts and interesting in learning more or having a working forum.
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