What is artificial intelligence?

The definition of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence — abbreviated AI — is a branch of computer science that deals with building systems that perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence. Think of recognizing faces, understanding spoken language, making decisions, or writing text.

The term was coined in 1956 by American computer scientist John McCarthy, who described AI as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines". Since then, the field has made enormous leaps — from simple rule-based systems to models that surpass human experts on specific tasks.

How does AI work?

Illustration created with Canva AI

Most modern AI systems work on the basis of machine learning: instead of manually programming rules, the system learns from examples. The model is presented with large amounts of data and discovers which patterns are relevant on its own.

A subset of machine learning is deep learning, in which artificial neural networks — loosely inspired by the human brain — are deployed. These networks consist of layers of nodes that pass and amplify signals. The deeper the network, the more complex patterns it can learn.

Types of artificial intelligence

AI is not one thing. There are different categories:

• Narrow AI — focused on one specific task. Most AI we know today falls under this: a recommendation system from Netflix, Google's translation engine, or a chess player like Deep Blue.
• Generative AI — can create new content: text, images, audio, video, or code. Examples: ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, Sora.
• Agentic AI — can independently take multiple steps to achieve a goal, including using tools and making decisions.
• General AI (AGI) — a hypothetical system that thinks as broadly and flexibly as a human. Does not exist yet, but is the long-term goal of many researchers.

Applications in practice

AI is already deeply woven into our daily lives, often without us noticing:

• Search engines — Google uses AI to understand search queries and show relevant results
• Navigation — Google Maps and Waze predict traffic jams and calculate the fastest route
• Customer service — chatbots answer questions and solve problems without human intervention
• Healthcare — AI recognizes tumors on X-rays, predicts disease progression, and accelerates drug development
• Productivity — tools like GitHub Copilot write code, Grammarly improves text, and Claude helps with analysis and planning

The impact of AI on society

AI brings enormous opportunities: higher productivity, better medical diagnoses, more sustainable energy, and access to knowledge for everyone. But there are also serious risks: job loss due to automation, disinformation via deepfakes, privacy breaches, and the concentration of power at a handful of tech companies.

The European Union has therefore adopted the AI Act — the world's first broad AI law, which sets risk-based rules for developing and deploying AI systems.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is no longer science fiction — it is a technology that is already changing the way we work, communicate, and make decisions. Those who understand the basics stand stronger in a world that is increasingly shaped by AI.