💻 TechnologyLevel 1Lesson 17
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Understand That Some Computers Can Learn (AI)

Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).

Learning Objectives

  • 1Explain that some computers use artificial intelligence to learn from examples
  • 2Match AI examples to their non-AI counterparts
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Mini Lesson

Most computers follow a fixed set of rules — they do exactly what they are programmed to do, and nothing more. But some special computers can actually learn — and that ability is called artificial intelligence, or AI for short!

What is artificial intelligence?

  • Artificial intelligence (AI) is when a computer program is able to learn from examples and get better over time — just like you do when you practice reading!
  • The word artificial means made by people, not grown in nature. The word intelligence means the ability to learn and solve problems.
  • So AI means: a human-made ability to learn and solve problems, built into a computer.

How does a computer learn?

  • People feed the computer thousands of examples — like pictures of dogs and cats.
  • The computer finds patterns in those examples.
  • After enough examples, it can make decisions on its own — like telling a dog from a cat in a brand-new photo it has never seen before.

AI vs. regular computer programs

  • A regular calculator always does 2 + 2 = 4 because a rule was written telling it to. It cannot learn anything new.
  • An AI photo-sorter was shown millions of photos and figured out the patterns itself. It can handle new photos it has never seen.
  • The key difference: regular programs follow fixed rules — AI programs learn from examples.
AI computer versus regular computer programTwo columns. Left: AI computer — learns from examples, gets better over time, handles new situations. Right: Regular program — follows fixed rules, always does the same thing, cannot learn.AI ComputerLearns from examplesGets better over timeHandles new situationsLearns like you do!Regular Programfixed rulesFollows fixed rulesAlways does the same thingCannot learn new thingsSame answer every time.
AI computer (learns from examples, improves, handles new situations) compared with a regular program (fixed rules, same every time, cannot learn).
How an AI learns: examples, patterns, decisionsThree steps shown left to right with arrows. Step 1: many example photos. Step 2: computer finds patterns. Step 3: computer makes a decision on a new photo.How AI Learns1. ExamplesThousandsof labeledphotos2. PatternsComputerfinds whatthey share3. DecisionDog!New photo —correct guesswithout help!The more examples it sees, thebetter AI gets at making decisions!
How AI learns — from labeled examples, to finding patterns, to making correct decisions on brand-new photos it has never seen.
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Ask yourself: "Did this program learn from examples, or does it just follow a fixed rule every time?

Vocabulary
Artificial intelligence
When a computer learns from examples and gets better over timee.g. Artificial intelligence helps the photo app sort animal pictures.
AI
Short for artificial intelligencee.g. AI can learn just like you do when you practice.
Examples
Sample pictures or information used to teach a machinee.g. We showed the AI thousands of dog examples.
Pattern
Things that look the same again and againe.g. The AI found a pattern in all the cat photos.
Decision
A choice the computer makes after looking at examplese.g. The AI made a decision that the new picture was a dog.
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