AI Basics - SWAL Learn

Module 1: What is AI?

Definition

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ability of a computer or machine to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. These tasks include understanding language, recognizing images, making decisions, and learning from experience.

Simple Analogy

Think of AI as teaching a computer to think — not by programming every single rule, but by showing it lots of examples so it figures out the patterns itself.

Key Facts

• AI is not magic — it's math and data working together
• AI systems learn from examples, just like humans learn from experience
• AI can be narrow (good at one thing) or general (good at many things)
• Most AI today is narrow AI — designed for specific tasks

Real World Examples

• Netflix recommending what to watch next
• Google autocompleting your searches
• Face unlock on your phone
• Spam filters in your email

📝 Module 1 Quiz (Pass 70% to continue)

1. What is the best definition of AI?

A robot that looks like a human A computer system that performs tasks requiring human intelligence Software that runs on the internet

2. Which is an example of AI you use daily?

A light switch Netflix recommendations A USB keyboard

3. Most AI systems today are:

General AI Narrow AI Superintelligence

Module 2: History of AI

The Beginning

AI didn't start with ChatGPT. The idea goes back to 1950 when mathematician Alan Turing asked: "Can machines think?" He invented the Turing Test — a way to measure if a machine could hold a conversation indistinguishable from a human.

Key Milestones

• 1950 — Alan Turing proposes the Turing Test
• 1956 — The term "Artificial Intelligence" is coined at Dartmouth College
• 1997 — IBM Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov
• 2011 — IBM Watson wins Jeopardy!
• 2022 — ChatGPT reaches 100 million users in 2 months

AI Winters

AI didn't grow in a straight line. There were periods called "AI winters" where funding dried up and progress slowed — because expectations were too high and computers weren't powerful enough yet.

📝 Module 2 Quiz (Pass 70% to continue)

1. Who proposed the Turing Test in 1950?

Albert Einstein Alan Turing Bill Gates

2. What are "AI winters"?

When AI servers get cold Periods when AI research slowed due to unmet expectations AI trained in cold countries

3. Which milestone happened in 1997?

IBM Deep Blue defeated world chess champion ChatGPT was launched The internet was invented

Module 3: Types of AI

The 3 Types

• Narrow AI (ANI) — Designed for one specific task. ALL the AI we have today.
• General AI (AGI) — Can perform any intellectual task a human can. Does not exist yet.
• Superintelligence (ASI) — Smarter than the best human in every field. Theoretical only.

Learning Approaches

• Supervised Learning — Learns from labelled examples
• Unsupervised Learning — Finds patterns in unlabelled data
• Reinforcement Learning — Learns by trial and error with rewards

📝 Module 3 Quiz (Final)

1. Which type of AI exists TODAY?

Narrow AI General AI Superintelligence

2. An AI learning by trial and error with rewards uses:

Supervised Learning Reinforcement Learning Unsupervised Learning

3. ChatGPT can write text but cannot drive a car. This shows it is:

Narrow AI General AI Broken

🤖 AI Basics