“AI is one of the most important things humanity is working on. It is more profound than electricity or fire…We have learned to harness fire for the benefits of humanity but we had to overcome its downsides too.….AI is really important, but we have to be concerned about it." - Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google.

While science fiction often portrays AI as robots with human-like characteristics, AI can encompass anything from Google’s search algorithms to IBM’s Watson, to autonomous weapons. Everyone is excited about AI, and everyone has a view on AI. AI is no longer the preserve of an Alex Garland screenplay, it’s a reality and being used in multiple ways.

We have personal assistants in our pockets and on our desks. Automated factories and self-driving cars being tested daily. Many governments and agencies around the world are researching AI and pouring billions into funding. Many scientists believe that once this lofty goal has been reached, these machines will have similar survival drives as we do.

Artificial intelligence powers online algorithms that determine your social news feed and make digital assistants like Siri and Alexa so useful.