Artificial Intelligence: Foundational Technologies of Artificial Intelligence

More than the 70 years since its emergence in the early 1950s, artificial intelligence (AI) is performing cognitive tasks traditionally considered the unique province of humans. This progress did not occur in a vacuum. AI emerged against a rich background of technologies from computer science and ideas about intelligence and learning from philosophy, psychology, logic, game theory, and cognitive science. We sketch out the enabling technologies for AI. They include search, reasoning, neural networks, natural language processing, signal processing and computer graphics, programming and conventional software engineering, human-computer interaction, communications, and specialized hardware that provides supercomputing power. Beyond these technologies is the notion of Artificial General Intelligence that has or exceeds the capabilities of the human brain. Currently this is completely aspirational and is not expected to be possible before 2050, if ever. Artificial Intelligence is based on a variety of technologies, none of which seek to emulate human intelligence.