Of all living beings on earth, humans are the most intelligent. Most of civilization's development has been based on human intellectual skill. Through creativity and intelligence, humans have made many inventions — each giving life a new direction. Humans constantly learn from their surroundings: by seeing something, hearing a sound, or feeling a touch.
When you see a familiar person, you greet them — because your brain has stored that person's face and the learned response to greet acquaintances. When this same process is performed by a machine — storing all familiar faces, searching them when a person appears, and learning appropriate behaviour — that entire process of the machine is called its Artificial Intelligence.
AI exists when a machine can have human-based skills like learning, reasoning, and solving problems. In computer science, AI is also known as Machine Intelligence — intelligence displayed by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence displayed by humans. AI is being continuously refined by training machines on past experiences to adapt to new inputs and perform human-like tasks.
5.1.1 Goals of AI
5.1.2 Applications of AI
Many video games are AI-based. AI machines can play strategic games like chess, analysing every possible move. With each move, the machine analyses and makes new moves — storing new patterns for future analysis. Categories: Board Games, Bots, Combat, Evolving Surroundings.
These systems understand and interpret visual input. Examples: Face detection login on laptops/mobiles, fingerprint lock, police criminal face matching from stored sketches, Facebook auto photo tagging using AI face recognition.
Intelligent systems listen to and understand language in the context of sentences and meanings when a human talks to the machine. Google Voice Search is a classic example.
Software reads text written by a pen or stylus on a screen (like paper). It recognises the shape of letters and can convert them into editable text.
AI plays a notable role in robotics. AI helps build intelligent robots that can learn from mistakes and adapt to new environments. They have skilled processors, multiple sensors, and vast memory. Recent examples: humanoid robots Erica and Sophia, which can talk and behave like humans.
Self-driving (autonomous) cars that operate without a driver. Tesla's famous self-driving cars are a real-life AI application. These cars have many sensors monitoring the road and surroundings as they move.
Enables conversation with computers in human-spoken language. The computer is programmed to understand our language. ML technology converts sounds of speech/language into words and ideas. NLP handles multiple languages and dialects — even drawing conclusions from conversations on a topic by different people.
Services like Netflix and Amazon use AI algorithms to show personalised programme recommendations. AI also tracks which locations/situations audiences like and even suggests story titles based on scripts.
AI is mainly used for crop and soil monitoring. AI/ML tools advise when to plant which seeds. Microsoft India's AI-based Sowing App provides this facility in India. AI also alerts farmers about pest threats and manages supply chains between companies and agriculture.
AI handles and analyses medical records rapidly and without error. Fitness bands use AI for data analysis. AI enables online medical consultations by entering symptoms. Robots can perform delicate surgeries (like brain operations) with lower error probability. Drug testing, medical trial patient care — all benefit from AI.
5.1.3 Advantages of AI
- AI machines learn from prior experience, so AI systems have fewer errors and higher accuracy.
- AI systems have multiple processors and sensors — very high-speed, fast decision-making. An AI system can beat a chess champion.
- AI can work far faster than humans. As a machine, it never gets tired and never takes breaks like we do.
- Repetitive jobs can be easily managed with AI algorithms. Machines can be programmed for long periods of work and can multitask.
- AI machines can be used in hazardous tasks — defusing bombs, deep-sea exploration, situations where human life is at risk.
- Useful as digital assistants — e-commerce websites use AI to show products tailored to customer needs.
- Useful for public utilities — self-driving cars, facial recognition for security, NLP for human-machine dialogue.
Expert systems are designed to solve complex issues of a specific knowledge domain. They can express domain knowledge, reason, and solve complex problems. They use high-level human intelligence and expertise, storing knowledge in a knowledge base. The system uses that stored knowledge to solve complex issues as an expert would — using both facts and inferences. A common example: Google's Search Box suggesting spelling corrections as you type.
5.2.1 Examples of Expert Systems
| System | Purpose |
|---|---|
| CADUCEUS & MYCIN | Medical diagnosis — user describes symptoms and the system recommends medicines and gives a diagnosis. |
| DENDRAL | Understanding molecular structure, making inferences, and chemical analysis. |
| PXDES | Recognising lung cancer and measuring its severity. |
| CaDet | Identifying cancer at an early stage. |
| SMHPAL | Evaluating students with multiple disabilities. |
| HEARSAY | An early attempt at voice/speech recognition. |
5.2.2 Why Expert Systems are Needed
- Humans have memory limitations; a machine can store as much data as needed.
- If the knowledge base is updated properly, it works efficiently — human efficiency varies even with the same knowledge base.
- Multiple experts in the same domain have different skills; an expert system consolidates all their knowledge for consistent final answers.
- No human emotions, fatigue, anxiety, anger, or depression — expert systems work with greater capacity.
- Provides complete security in problem resolution; humans can have doubts about confidentiality.
- Storage capacity allows all facts to be used simultaneously — humans often can't gather all facts at once for a decision.
- Expert systems can be continuously upgraded — their capability grows steadily, unlike humans with very limited such potential.
5.2.3 Components of an Expert System
5.2.4 Characteristics of Expert Systems
- Built for a specific domain with high efficiency and accuracy; provides effective, precise, high performance for any complex problem.
- Gives accurate solutions to complex problems in less time.
- Responds in a way easily understood by users; takes input in human language and provides output the same way.
- Must be reliable and produce accurate output.
- Must be flexible — new information can be added at any time.
5.2.5 Advantages of Expert Systems
- Computer-based, not affected by emotions, stress, or fatigue — consistent stable performance; same situation always gives same decision.
- Available to all users simultaneously — multiple users can use one expert system and get instant responses.
- Stores all rules and conditions in memory — accessible equally to all and works fast.
- Available 24×7 — a key advantage over human experts.
- Can be used in risky locations where human presence is unsafe.
- Lower error rate than humans.
- Reduces the cost of consulting experts.
- If errors or wrong information are stored in the knowledge base, decisions can be wrong.
- Typically built for a specific knowledge domain — separate systems needed for different domains.
- High time and cost to purchase, install, and acquire knowledge for the system.
- Cannot produce creative solutions for various scenarios — unlike human experts who can think creatively.
5.2.7 Participants in Expert System Development
You know YouTube — you can watch videos using the internet and a smart device without the video being stored on your device. You don't know what kind of file it is or where it's stored, yet you can watch it. All of this is possible through cloud computing.
With cloud computing, computer-based services can be accessed anywhere, anytime on any smart device via the internet. People at physically different locations can work on the same file simultaneously, or share hardware. DigiLocker and Digital Library services you've already learned about are all cloud-based.
Unlike traditional computer setups where your data, storage, and related software must be on your device — cloud computing lets you use large programs, massive data, or programs beyond your computer's capacity via internet access. Cloud is cost-effective and provides on-demand resources — pay only for what you use, like paying only your electricity bill amount.
5.3.1 Types of Cloud Computing – By Deployment
Cloud Computing – By Services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
Provider gives server, storage, networking, virtual machines, and other computing resources on pay-as-you-go basis. User installs, configures, and manages their own software on this infrastructure. Saves from buying hardware.
Main users: System Administrators
Provides a platform with computational resources on which applications and services can be developed and hosted. Users can build, test, run, and deploy applications. Developers focus on development — not infrastructure management.
Main users: App & Web Developers
A complete software product delivered via the web by subscription. Use cloud-available applications without installing them. App runs and is controlled/managed on the vendor's cloud. No OS dependency. No software installation needed.
Main users: End Users
Google Drive is a secure place for any type of file — all data is encrypted. Others can access, edit, or view your files only with your permission. You can collaborate on your documents with others. Google Drive provides users 15 GB of free cloud storage — shared across Google Drive, Google Photos, and Gmail. Additional storage can be purchased for a fixed fee.
You can store photos, videos, PDFs, and Microsoft Office files in Drive. Gmail attachments can also be sent directly to Google Drive.
5.4.1 Ways to Use Google Drive
Dashboard Features
- Click the Search Box to search your Drive content by keyword.
- Click the Google Apps icon (9 squares) to access other Google services like Gmail or YouTube.
- Click the Notification icon to see account notifications.
- Click Google Account icon to sign in/out of your account.
- Click NEW button to create a new file, create new folders, or upload files/folders to your cloud.
- Click the Link icon to get a shareable link to your file.
- Click the Share icon to email a shareable copy of your file directly.
- Click the Remove icon to move a file/folder to trash.
- Click the Action icon for more file management options (folder color, sort, download).
- Click the View/Layout icon to switch between list and grid view.
Google provides a suite of apps designed for users who work online. Regular document-making apps work offline — files must be sent from one user to another via email or pen drive. Google Docs, integrated with Google Drive's cloud storage, lets you access, work on, and share your documents from anywhere.
How to Use Google Docs — Step by Step
To use Google Docs, sign up for a Google Account at www.google.com. Consumer accounts are free. Business/enterprise accounts may be provided by your employer. Your Google account gives access to the full Google Drive Suite including all Google Apps.
Access from the Google homepage (top-right Application icon → 9 squares → Docs button), or from Google Drive via the Application icon or NEW button, or by searching "Google Docs" directly in Google Search and logging in.
Click the Blank Page in the upper-left of the Google Docs main page. From Google Drive, click NEW → Google Docs. You can also use templates (resumes, business letters, third-party templates). Upload existing .doc or .docx files using "File Upload".
Click the blue Share button in the upper-right corner. Enter email addresses to invite other users. Shared users can edit, view, or comment on the document — depending on the permission you grant them (Edit / View / Comment).
Teachers can use Google Forms to assess students at the start of a class and gauge prior knowledge. Forms can also collect feedback from students and parents. Students can use it to assess their own learning, set goals, and collect data for research projects.
Question Types in Google Forms
5.6.1 How to Create a Google Form — Step by Step
Sign in to Gmail or Google Drive. Go to docs.google.com/forms. Choose a template or click the large Plus (+) sign on the form start page to start a blank form.
Click "Untitled form" and enter a name. The title appears in the browser tab, top-left of the page, and is what respondents see when they open the form. You can also add a description below the title.
Click "Untitled Question" and enter text. Click the Required slider button to make it required. Duplicate using the multiple-page icon or delete using the trash icon. Select the question type from the dropdown (Multiple Choice, Short Answer, etc.).
Click the image icon in the right panel bar to add an image to a question. You can drag an image to upload, manually upload, take a snapshot, add a URL, or search Google Drive/Google Image Search. Images can also be added to each response option in Multiple Choice and Checkbox question types.
Click the Plus (+) icon in the right panel bar. For questions with response options, click "Option 1" and enter the first option — pressing Enter adds the next. For a long list (states, flavors), paste the full list on the first option and the form creates separate options automatically.
Click the Send button (top-right of the form). Choose one of three methods: (a) Send directly to email addresses entered in the "To" field, (b) Copy and share the link, (c) Embed the form HTML in a blog post or landing page. Social media icons (Facebook, Twitter) are also available in the Send popup for sharing.
In Docs, Sheets, or Slides: File → New → Form. In Google Sheets: Tools → Create a new form (auto-linked to that spreadsheet). Click Responses tab to see how many people responded. Click "Create Spreadsheet" icon to download response data in spreadsheet format. Toggle "Accepting Responses" to open or close the form.
Source: 2DCA1 IT Trends – Unit 5 | Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism & Communication, Bhopal
Authors: Dr. Manish Maheshwari, Dr. Sunita Dwivedi & Prashant Parashar
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