What is AI ? Artificial intelligence ( AI ), sometimes called machine intelligence , is intelligence demonstrated by machines , in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals. In computer science AI research is defined as the study of " intelligent agents ": any device that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of successfully achieving its goals. Colloquially, the term "artificial intelligence" is applied when a machine mimics "cognitive" functions that humans associate with other human minds , such as "learning" and "problem solving". The scope of AI is disputed: as machines become increasingly capable, tasks considered as requiring "intelligence" are often removed from the definition, a phenomenon known as the AI effect , leading to the quip in Tesler's Theorem, "AI is whatever hasn't been done yet." For instance, optical...