Artificial intelligence is an idea raised commonly when discussing technological advancements in the future, as well as in science fiction novels and film. Artificial intelligence is the capacity of transferring to improve from mistakes to machines. John McCarthy is a scientist who worked heavily on artificial intelligence machines in the early 20th Century, and actually coined that term. He describes it as the science behind creating machines that are intelligent. The whole idea behind this branch of technology is based on the idea that intelligence, which is generally believed to only be able to be tracked and monitored in humans, is able to be simulated by a computer. This calls into question many issues about the capabilities of the mind, and the ethical drawbacks of comparing a machine to the intelligence of a human brain.
Artificial intelligence is certainly present in all forms of modern and past media. The first idea of artificial intelligence can be traced back to Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley. In this story, a creature is created that is supposed to have human-like characteristics. But the intelligence of the creature is rejected, and he is never treated like a human because the other characters feel that he does not possess the same genetic makeup as a human being. Even as many as 30 years ago, robots such as C3P0 and R2D2 in Star Wars were a huge part of the popular culture. Additionally, in the past few years, hit television series’ such as Knight Rider, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica have featured artificial intelligence as a large part of the storylines. Films that feature artificial intelligence include The Matrix, Terminator, I, Robot, and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. The integration of this technology into popular culture has helped to bring the idea of artificial intelligence into daily conversations, and has sparked plenty of discussion and debate about what the future may hold as technology continues to advance.