So, how can programmers get computers to exhibit Artificial Intelligence? Computer code is purely mathematical and precise; actual human-like thought, on the other hand, is imprecise and often random. To make code imitate thought has always been considered to be difficult at best, and some even claim impossible.
However, all the advances in computer hardware and software and all the research done in the Artificial Intelligence arena during the last two decades has allowed several specific AI methods to enter into the programming mainstream. These coding concepts are allowing AI to be used in many ways, opening the door for a wealth of artificially intelligent programs and electronic devices to reach the market.
Artificial Intelligence techniques are designed to cause a computer a calculating machine — to imitate life or thought to solve a problem. Many of these techniques involve turning precise numerical data into imprecise, “fuzzy” values. Others imitate actual life, mimicking neurons, genes, or viruses in order to accomplish a specific task. Some involve interconnected bits of data, often governed by if-then rules, which allow the computer to perform a thought-like process to reach a conclusion. All of them have their own specific technological uses, and they allow the creation of powerful new technologies and a better way to solve old problems.
See also: Fuzzy Math, Neural Networks, Expert systems