Types of Artificial Intelligence- Types and Techniques

Author: Christina Joy

What is Artificial Intelligence?

The term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ came into existence in the year 1956 when John McCarthy coined it. According to him, Artificial Intelligence is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines. Many different industries are benefitting from this technology. AI is a cross-disciplinary approach, combining multiple fields of studies such as mathematics, linguistics, computer science, psychology, and many more.

Different Types of Artificial Intelligence

As we know, Artificial Intelligence has become a part of our day-to-day lives. That’s why it is important to understand the different types of Artificial Intelligence. This article will help understand the types of AI. Artificial Intelligence is categorized into various types based on capabilities and functionalities.

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Artificial Intelligence Types: Based on CapabilitiesNarrow or Weak Artificial Intelligence

  • Narrow AI is a type of AI that is used in only one narrow task. It is one of the most common types and, currently, it is the world of AI.
  • Narrow AI is not too intelligent to do its own work beyond its limitations. Hence, it is also known as weak AI.
  • Some examples of narrow AI are self-driving cars, chess-playing machine, image recognition, speech recognition, and purchasing suggestions on e-commerce sites.
  • However, each narrow AI will contribute to the building of strong AI.
General Artificial Intelligence
  • General AI is a type of Artificial Intelligence that has the ability to think and make decisions like humans.
  • The purpose behind this AI is to make a system that is smarter and can act like a human on its own.
  • Although they do not exist currently, researchers are focusing on developing machines based on general AI.
Strong Artificial Intelligence
  • Strong AI is a type of Artificial Intelligence where machines would surpass human intelligence and would be able to perform any task better than humans.
  • Strong AI has its own ability to think, solve puzzles, reason, plan, learn, communicate, and make judgments.
  • Currently, there is no proper example to provide for strong AI. However, with some of the industry leaders being focused on building strong AI, it would be materialized soon.
  • Artificial Intelligence Types: Based on Functionalities
    • and do not use past memories in current decision-making.
    • This type involves a computer system perceiving the world and acting on what it sees.
    • The machine focuses on just the current scenario and reacts to it.
    • As per one of the AI researchers, Rodney Brooks, such machines do not have an idea of the wider world; therefore, they cannot function beyond the specific tasks assigned to them.
    • Examples of these kinds of machines are IBM’s Deep Blue Systems and Google’s AlphaGo.
    • Limited Memory:
      • Limited memory machines have the ability to learn from historical data to make decisions.
      • However, the data stored in the limited memory can be accessed only for some period of time.
      • Chatbots, self-driving vehicles, and virtual assistants such as Siri are some of the examples of limited memory machines.
      • The Theory of Mind understands people, creatures, emotions, and objects in the world and interacts accordingly.
      • This type of Artificial Intelligence is not developed yet. Nonetheless, some researchers are investing effort in its creation.