Is Artificial Intelligence the Answer to Everything?

Recent advances in artificial intelligence technology are creating new opportunities for computing solutions. AI has become very popular, and is widely used for many different applications. However, it is not a silver bullet, and could produce inferior results, wasting time and money if not used appropriately. But there is as yet little guidance about when and where AI should be used, and where traditional deterministic solutions should be used. We describe characteristics of problems that indicate appropriateness for AI solutions. These characteristics are based on the inherent uncertainty of the problem’s inputs, outputs, and transformation between them. Analysis of the uncertainty forms the basis of guidelines one can use when considering whether to employ AI-based solutions for a given problem.