AI is the new buzzword. Everyone uses it and wants you to use it while everything seems to have it. In this article we’re going to discuss Artificial Intelligence 101: Introduction to Generative AI.
Hi guys, it has been a while since I last took up my pen. This is because I have been away. I recently took part in a World Bank-assisted project. This project was centered on the use of AI and I am here to share my newly acquired knowledge.
Most people see AI as this chatbot thing that chats with them or answers their questions. Nope, it is a lot more than that. Using or understanding AI isn’t about typing a random question on an AI Chatbot and expecting a precise and accurate response. It is about knowing what it is, becoming familiar with this amazing tool and getting maximum output from it.
Artificial intelligence 101: What is AI?
AI is an acronym (short) for artificial intelligence. It is a machine-based system for specified objectives that infers from the data it receives and generates information that can be predictions, content, answers, recommendations, etc. These systems use hardware (NPUs, TPUs etc.), algorithms, and data to replicate certain characteristics of human intelligence. (Adapted from definitions of OECD and UNESCO, 2023).
AI is meant to imitate human intelligence to some degree and to evaluate this, a test (called Turing’s Test) is usually conducted to assess this attribute. In this test, a machine is made to undergo a series of tests along with a human which is then judged by another human. The AI is supposed to fool both humans (both the tester and the judge) that it is human also.
If the human judge and the other tester are unable to differentiate between what the machine produces and what a real human would produce, then it has passed the test.
Since AI is getting smarter and becoming more human-like, newer methods have been produced to help distinguish a human from AI. One good example is that on some websites, they will ask you to tick the “I am not a bot” box or complete a Recaptcha (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart).
This test works because AI bots only move cursors in straight lines upward and sideway, thus it is incapable of passing a Recaptcha whereas a human can move a cursor in any direction, the movement of the cursor is what tells the page that it is a human and the Recaptcha test is passed, other tests include the Arkose test used by Twitter and Microsoft.
What is Generative AI?
Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that generates new content from existing content. It can generate new content such as text, images, audio, and video that resembles what humans can produce. It is also very effective at spotting patterns (in video, audio, text or images) and can emulate them when tasked with producing certain tasks or output. Examples include:
- AI-powered Art Creation
- Generating Realistic Images
- Music Composition
- Personalized Marketing content
Generative AI tools include Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and Claude Ai. I am also sure you may have used ChatGPT, and Meta AI on WhatsApp. These are all amazing tools that when used properly can get the best result in any of the things listed above.
Moving on…
So that’s the much we can take on this topic, Artificial Intelligence 101: Introduction to Generative AI. In my next article, we shall be discussing Chatbots, how you can effectively make use of them and how they can give you amazing results when used properly.
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