Artificial Intelligence (AI): Getting Started

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?   Artificial intelligence is the ability for computers to imitate  human functions such as learning and problem-solving. 

Types of AI :  AI is generally divided into 2 different types, Weak AI and Strong AI. 

Weak AI:  Weak AI or Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) is the type of AI humans mostly use. Virtual assistants, like Siri, would fall into this group. These types of AI have a narrow focus. You can ask Siri what sound a dog makes and Siri will use a defined dataset (the Internet) to search for the answer and repeat it back to you. Chat GPT or any other chatbot (Google's Gemini) would fall into this category as well. 

Strong AI:  Strong AI or  Artificial General Intelligence has a goal of developing AI in which a machine's intellectual capability is equal to a human's, not relying on complex algorithms or standard datasets to answer a question, instead being able to think exactly like a human. It uses multiple domains of knowledge. Autonomous cars would be an example of strong AI. 

Examples of AI

Generative AI:  Generative AI is developing quickly and there is still much to learn about it. Generative AI is artificial intelligence that can create new content (videos, images, words ) based on a user's prompts.  Chat GPT is an example of generative AI. 

Virtual Assistants: Virtual assistants use AI to understand a human's voice command. Examples of virtual assistants are Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa. 

Check out this helpful video on Generative AI:  AI Literacy

Download an infographic on AI: Things to Know about AI

Check out Madonna University Writing Center for Madonna's policies on generative AI and using GPT for academic writing: Writer Center : Generative AI and Essay Writing

News Literacy Project : Teaching and Learning about AI

Chat GPT: A Library Perspective

ChatGPT, AI, and Academic Integrity

Artificial intelligence and ethics

Columbia Journalism Review : AI Search Has A Citation Problem

The Sift  :   The Sift is a free weekly newsletter for educators delivered during the school year that offers a rundown of the latest topics in news literacy — including trends and issues in misinformation, social media, artificial intelligence, journalism and press freedom. It provides discussion prompts, teaching ideas, classroom guides, quizzes and two sets of teaching slides each week.  

Test your knowledge of AI with a Quiz from The Sift!