Not so Artificial Intelligence – When is AI really AI?

Is it just the LifeStyler or are others noticing just how many brands are claiming to have artificial intelligence built into their products?

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. The term may also be applied to any machine that exhibits traits associated with a human mind such as learning and problem-solving.

AI is not the ability to turn a kettle off once the water has boiled but would be AI if the kettle determined by itself that at 11 am on days below 25 degrees you had a cup of coffee and worked out that you were indeed at home it would boil the kettle ready for you at 11 am only on cooler days.

Thus AI is the ability to make decisions with lots of variable pieces of information. What the LifeStyler is annoyed about is the ability of marketers to throw the term around adding it to the description of their product inferring it is smarter than it is. AI is one of those things like “the cloud’ that most people don’t understand but are too embarrassed to admit they don’t. Further, they fall into the trap of it must be better if the word is used.

To take this a step further technically, Google and Alexa are examples of machine learning, not AI.

My challenge to the readers is to call out products that are truly AI versus products that are just pretending to be AI. Cheers!