1. What is AI?

(Taken from https://www.ibm.com)

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It is artificial because it is not natural (biological) and it is intelligence because it can:

• Discover new information
• Infer – i.e. read-in information from other sources (not necessarily explicitly stated)
• Reason – i.e. figure things out

 

2. What can AI do?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate:

1. human learning
2. comprehension
3. problem solving
4. decision making
5. creativity
6. autonomy

Applications and devices equipped with AI can:

1. see and identify objects
2. understand and respond to human language
3. learn from new information and experience
4. make detailed recommendations to users and experts
5. act independently, replacing the need for human intelligence or intervention (a classic example being a self-driving car).

Click here for a Deeper Dive into AI, Machine Learning Deep Learning and Generative AI

3. Why is it important?

In 2024 OpenAI released the first AI generated chatbot to the public.  They called it ‘Chat GPT’ and in just a few months other AI chatbots were released.

Google released their ‘Gemini’ chatbot. Microsoft released ‘Co-Pilot.’ X (formerly known as Twitter) released ‘Grok.’ Anthropic released ‘Claude’ and a Chinese company released ‘Deep Seek.’

Since the release of ChatGPT, more and more people are using AI chatbots for; fast access to information, entertainment, work and even friendships.  Slowly AI is creeping into every aspect of our lives and will change our World in ways we cannot predict or prepare for.  AI chatbots have already caused some controversies.  These range from; serious infringements on our privacy and the security of our personal information, to providing false information that the AI just ‘made up.’

The AI chatbots are just the tip of the iceberg with more powerful AIs lying in the servers of AI Companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.  It is here that the AI systems of the future are being developed at breath-taking speed and this is part of the reason that many are calling for a Slow-down in AI development before Artificial Intelligence out-grows Human Intelligence and we may well have created a Frankenstein that we cannot control.

There is also the use of AI in military targeting systems. In the spring of 2026 the AI Company Anthropic decided it would not allow the Pentagon to use it’s AI for ‘Autonomous Weapons’ or ‘Mass Surveillance of American Citizens’ which, once activated, can select and engage targets with no human involvement.

For the last couple of years there have been an increasing number of media reports highlighting AIs unusual and (in some cases) dangerous behaviour.  Luckily this unusual behaviour was constrained within the ‘walls’ of what is called a ‘Sandbox.’  A sandbox is a test area that the AI cannot get out of.  That is until recently (in 2026) when news reports began to emerge showing that a number of AIs had escaped their sandboxes and, hacked other AI Companies and Government Websites.

The recent EU Kids Online 2026 Comparative Study reported that:

• Around two-thirds of children regularly use AI tools, particularly for educational and practical purposes. Many are optimistic about their potential: 37% hope AI will increase human creativity; while around one-third believe new technologies will reduce the time people spend on boring activities.
• Children also express concerns about the future of AI. Four in ten worry that AI-based technologies consume too many natural resources and damage the environment, and that AI may surpass human intelligence in ways that make it impossible for humans to retain control.

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