EMERGING T h e c 21st Century Skills InnovatIon LIbrary Artificial Intelligence Cherry Lake PubLishing ann arbor MiChigan by Josh Gregory
EMERGING TeCh Chapter 1 Machines That Think W e use the word intelligent in many ways A smart person can be described as intel ligent So can a clever pet that has learned to perform a trick If you are watching a sci-fi movie you might hear the characters talk about searching for intelligent life on a distant planet You know that intelligence has something to do with thinking But Learning how to play a musical instrument requires a great deal of intelligence 44
what exactly does it mean Are all people intelligent Are all animals What about computers Intelligence is more than just being able to think or react to things Experts define it as a blend of several abilities One is perception or the ability to absorb information about your surroundings For a human this means being able to recognize and make sense of the things you see hear feel smell or taste Another part of intelligence is being able to learn new things This could be as simple as remembering facts It could also be as complex as learning to play an instrument or mastering a dance move Intelligence also means being able to reason This means using the information you know to draw conclusions and learn new things Problem solving is another big part of intelligence If you find yourself in an unfamiliar situation you can use your knowledge and skills to find a solution Finally intelligence means being able to understand and use language As you have used computers or played with robots you have probably noticed that they seem to show some signs of intelligence You might talk to your smartphone and ask it to look something up online for 5 ArtificiAl intelligence
