Artificial Intelligence (AI) Fundamentals

Study Notes

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Definition

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as:

Learning
Problem-solving
Reasoning
Perception
Language understanding

Types of AI

Narrow or Weak AI: Designed to perform a specific task, e.g., facial recognition, language translation
General or Strong AI: Aims to mimic human intelligence, with the ability to perform any intellectual task
Superintelligence: Significantly more intelligent than the best human minds, with the potential to revolutionize or harm humanity

Applications

Machine Learning: Enables AI systems to learn from data and improve performance over time
Natural Language Processing (NLP): Allows AI to understand, generate, and process human language
Robotics: Enables AI to interact with the physical world through robots and drones
Healthcare: AI is used in medical diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient care

Cybersecurity

Definition

Cybersecurity refers to the protection of computer systems, networks, and sensitive information from unauthorized access, theft, damage, or disruption.

Threats

Malware: Viruses, worms, trojans, and spyware that compromise system security
Phishing: Social engineering attacks that trick users into revealing sensitive information
Ransomware: Malware that encrypts data and demands payment for decryption
Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks: Overwhelming systems with traffic to make them unavailable

Security Measures

Firewalls: Network barriers that block unauthorized access
Encryption: Encoding data to protect it from unauthorized access
Authentication and Authorization: Verifying user identities and controlling access to resources
Incident Response: Planning and responding to security breaches

Best Practices

Keep software up-to-date: Regularly update operating systems, browsers, and applications to patch vulnerabilities
Use strong passwords: Complex, unique passwords for each account
Use two-factor authentication: Combine passwords with additional verification methods (e.g., biometric data, one-time codes)
Be cautious with emails and downloads: Avoid suspicious emails and downloads that may contain malware

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Definition

AI develops computer systems that perform tasks requiring human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, reasoning, perception, and language understanding.

Types of AI

Narrow or Weak AI is designed to perform a specific task, like facial recognition or language translation.
General or Strong AI aims to mimic human intelligence, performing any intellectual task.
Superintelligence is significantly more intelligent than the best human minds, potentially revolutionizing or harming humanity.

Applications

Machine Learning enables AI systems to learn from data and improve performance over time.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) allows AI to understand, generate, and process human language.
Robotics enables AI to interact with the physical world through robots and drones.
AI is used in medical diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient care in healthcare.

Cybersecurity

Definition

Cybersecurity protects computer systems, networks, and sensitive information from unauthorized access, theft, damage, or disruption.

Threats

Malware includes viruses, worms, trojans, and spyware that compromise system security.
Phishing involves social engineering attacks that trick users into revealing sensitive information.
Ransomware is malware that encrypts data and demands payment for decryption.
Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks overwhelm systems with traffic to make them unavailable.

Security Measures

Firewalls are network barriers that block unauthorized access.
Encryption encodes data to protect it from unauthorized access.
Authentication and Authorization verify user identities and control access to resources.
Incident Response involves planning and responding to security breaches.

Best Practices

Regularly update operating systems, browsers, and applications to patch vulnerabilities.
Use complex, unique passwords for each account.
Combine passwords with additional verification methods, like biometric data or one-time codes, for two-factor authentication.
Avoid suspicious emails and downloads that may contain malware.