AI all around us
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is technology that uses human skills, such as solving problems, reasoning and deciding, to do tasks. It depends on algorithms to learn. You already meet AI every day. Face unlock opens a device when it recognises you. Map guidance finds a route and changes it when a road is blocked. Smart temperature control keeps a room comfortable. Voice helpers answer questions. Junk-mail filters decide which messages are dangerous. Some sites suggest people you may want to connect with. Chat windows are answered by chatbots, which are programs and not people. Learning programs can fit each pupil’s level. Language tools can give information and help to write. Not every gadget is AI: a torch just lights up. A good test is to ask: does it learn from data, and does it decide or adapt? If yes, it may be AI.
| AI tool | What it does | Human skill it copies |
|---|---|---|
| face unlock | opens a device when it recognises you | recognising |
| map guidance | finds and changes a route | solving problems |
| junk-mail filter | keeps bad messages out | deciding |
| learning program | fits each pupil’s level | teaching and adapting |
| Pupil | Finds fractions | The program gives |
|---|---|---|
| Marwan | hard | more practice |
| Salma | easy | harder questions |
AI or not AI? With a grown-up, list five things that you know: a torch, a map tool that changes the route when traffic builds, a ruler, a junk-mail filter, face unlock. For each, decide ‘AI’ or ‘not AI’ and give a reason. No device is needed to do this.