AI: discovering the many faces of a faceless technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the core of the digital revolution we are currently undergoing. Conceived in research labs, it has now established itself in almost all sectors and has become an integral part of our economy and lives. Understanding artificial intelligence is a complex task, as it involves using concepts such as mind, intelligence, ‘non-human intelligence’, rationality, adaptivity and autonomy, and even the concept of what it means to be a human being. Today, every sector, company and even profession has its own understanding and definition of AI, a circumstance that creates confusion and renders the necessary discussion on AI difficult.To address the domain knowledge of AI, this publication begins by looking at the origins of AI, offering a number of definitions formulated by the scientists who developed it. It then looks at how the EU institutions define AI in their policy approach. In addition, it clarifies the meaning of the many buzzwords surrounding AI, from ‘conversational AI’ to ‘deep learning’, in an effort to make future discussions on AI easier. It goes on to offer some specific examples of how AI is used in practice in many sectors of our economy.