AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) Study Guide

Chapter 3. AI and Machine Learning

AI is not a new field; its origins date back decades. In the 1940s, researchers like Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts developed foundational concepts for neural networks. This was followed by the pioneering work of mathematician Alan Turing, who in 1950 authored the paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” In it, he introduced the Turing test, a method for evaluating a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human.

The term artificial intelligence was coined in 1956 by computer scientist John McCarthy for a conference at Dartmouth College. The event gathered luminaries such as Marvin Minsky and Claude Shannon. Two attendees, Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon, demonstrated the Logic Theorist, an AI program that could solve mathematical theorems. While today’s AI developments are far more advanced, the fundamental concepts established by these early pioneers remain critical building blocks.

No doubt, today’s AI developments are light-years ahead of these early applications. Yet some of their underlying fundamentals have been worked on for many years. They were the critical building blocks.

In this chapter, we’ll focus on the fundamentals, which are a major part of the AIF-C01 exam. This will include focusing on a core topic of AI—that is, machine learning.

Understanding AI

AI can seem overwhelming. Part of this is due to the complexity of the technology. After all, it often involves ...