The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly expanded in recent years, and you can find AI programs and systems almost everywhere you go. Anytime you have watched a recommended video on YouTube or asked Alexa to turn on the lights, you have interacted with AI. But what exactly is AI? There is so much to learn about AI, but you can get started by reading about some cool artificial intelligence facts for kids!
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Discover cool artificial intelligence facts for kids
There is a lot to learn about artificial intelligence for kids! Here are some cool artificial intelligence facts for kids to get started.
1. Artificial intelligence is the ability for a program or device to perform tasks that are normally done by humans.
With AI, programs and devices can perform tasks that are usually done by humans because they require human intelligence, understanding, and decision-making. Nowadays, AI systems can make sense of images, recognize speech, and make decisions with little to no assistance from humans! AI can even perform these tasks faster than humans, making these systems a valuable component of our society today. AI is used to automate tasks, learn and analyze information to make decisions, and to develop intelligent robots and self-driving cars. For example, the Siri assistant on an iPhone is powered by AI to help automate tasks on your device, recognize speech to execute commands, and find information to answer questions.
2. Artificial intelligence has been around for a long time.
AI is not a new development. In fact, AI has been around since the 1950s! In the 1950s, Alan Turing, a British mathematician and World War II code-breaker, developed the Turing Test to determine whether a computer has intelligence. It focused on a computer's ability to make humans believe they were talking to another person. The first AI program was presented at a conference in 1956, which was designed to mimic human problem-solving skills to prove certain mathematical theorems.
3. Artificial intelligence may replace up to 40% of the current workforce.
AI systems are increasingly replacing humans in performing repetitive or difficult tasks. In an interview with Kai-Fu Lee, CBS reported that up to 40% of the current workforce may one day be replaced with AI systems. With the development of self-driving cars, robots, and other AI systems, there will be more automated stores, restaurants, and warehouses, which will lead to the displacement of workers in these areas.
4. Artificial intelligence needs data to learn and make decisions.
AI systems are only as smart as the data it is given. Most AI systems use large amounts of data that is analyzed to identify patterns and make decisions or predictions based on these patterns. The more data an AI system has to analyze, the more accurate its decisions and predictions can be. However, there are times when the data used to teach an AI system is biased or has errors. As AI has become a larger part of our society, more efforts and research have been dedicated to minimizing potential biases in these systems.
5. Apps and websites use artificial intelligence to improve the user experience.
Many apps and websites use AI to make recommendations based on previous searches, shows we have watched, songs we have listened to, or purchases we have made. For example, when you watch a show or movie on Netflix, its AI learns your preferences to decide what to recommend next. Amazon uses AI to learn your shopping preferences to recommend products you might be interested in. Even Facebook uses AI to improve their services to make it more accessible to a variety of users.
6. Sophia is the world's first robot citizen and the first robot Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme.
Sophia is a social humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robots in 2016. Sophia has a very human-like appearance and behavior and can imitate human gestures and facial expressions. She is able to hold conversations using speech recognition technology developed by Alphabet (the parent company of Google) and extracts data from conversations to improve her responses. In 2017, Sophia was given Saudi Arabian citizenship, making her the first robot to receive citizenship in any country.
7. An AI pet learns from its environment and relationship with its owner.
Some companies have even started creating AI pets! Companies like Aibo and Moflin develop AI pets that mimic the behavior of real pets without the challenges that can come with caring for a real pet. These AI pets learn from their environments and owners to develop unique personalities and provide comfort and companionship to children and adults. Studies have also found that AI pets and social robots have led to positive impacts in providing comfort, improving social skills, and overall improving the mood of their owners.
Explore artificial intelligence facts for kids
Artificial intelligence is already a part of so many apps, websites, and devices that we use everyday, and the application of AI continues to expand. You can start learning how to develop AI apps and systems in one of our live online Artificial Intelligence for Kids classes, where you can learn how AI systems work and create AI programs using Python - all with the help of an expert. Get started with our free event.
Written by Jamila Cocchiola who has always been fascinated with technology and its impact on the world. The technologies that emerged while she was in high school showed her all the ways software could be used to connect people, so she learned how to code so she could make her own! She went on to make a career out of developing software and apps before deciding to become a teacher to help students see the importance, benefits, and fun of computer science.
