The Foundations of AI

Abstract

From its most remote past, humanity has always sought to build artefacts that emulate or at least simulate certain aspects of intelligent beings and especially intelligence. As a matter of fact all myths and realisations concerning automatons and homunculi are but the expression of an ineluctable desire of human beings to surpass themselves in all walks of life and especially in the area of intelligence. This chapter delves into the definition of artificial intelligence, its history and evolution, the elements that can shape AI theory and the current frame of reference in the field.