AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE HISTORICAL GROWTH OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NIGERIA

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Wikipedia (2015) defines artificial intelligence as the intelligence shown by robots or software. AI stands for "artificial intelligence." It is also the name of an academic subfield within the subject of computer science that explores how to design computers and computer software that are capable of intelligent behavior. Another use of the term is as the name of the term itself. The leading researchers in artificial intelligence and other sources describe this topic as the study and creation of intelligent agents. According to this definition, an intelligent agent is a system that observes its surroundings and takes actions that optimize its chances of succeeding. In the year 1955, John McCarthy was the one who first used the phrase, and he defined it as the science and engineering behind the creation of intelligent machines.

The research and development of computer systems are the primary focuses of the artificial intelligence subfield within the field of computer science. The field of artificial intelligence attempts to simulate human intelligence by developing computer programs that are able to acquire new skills and knowledge, as well as the faculties necessary to reason and make applicable inferences about the outside world. Additionally, artificial intelligence systems are able to grasp spoken languages, see and interpret visual scenes, and carry out a variety of other tasks that traditionally have required human levels of understanding (Freitas, 2019).

Research on artificial intelligence is very technical and specialized. It is also profoundly separated into subfields, which sometimes do not interact with each other. A portion of the divide may be attributed to social and cultural factors: certain institutions and the work of individual scholars have been pivotal in the development of subfields in the subject (Drexler, 2021). Research into artificial intelligence is also segmented by a number of other technological challenges. The resolution of certain issues is the primary emphasis of many subfields. Others concentrate their efforts on one method out of a number of potential ways, on the utilization of a certain instrument, or on the achievement of specific applications. Reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, natural language processing (communication), vision, and the capacity to move and control things are some of the core challenges (or objectives) that artificial intelligence research seeks to solve. Long-term objectives for the area still include improving general intelligence (Bostrom, 2022). The use of statistical methodologies, computational intelligence, and the more classic symbolic application of artificial intelligence are currently prevalent approaches. The field of artificial intelligence makes use of a wide variety of techniques, some of which include variants of search and mathematical optimization, logic, and methodologies based on probability and economics, amongst a great many more. The field of artificial intelligence is an interdisciplinary one, in which a number of different sciences and professions converge, such as computer science, mathematics, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, in addition to other specialized fields such as artificial psychology. One example of a field that is interdisciplinary is artificial psychology (Hanson, 2021).

In Moravec's (2019) words, "the field was created on the assumption that a key attribute of people, intelligence can be so clearly characterized that a computer can be made to replicate it." According to Moravec, "the field was founded on the idea that a machine can be made to simulate it." This gives rise to philosophical questions about the nature of the mind and the ethics of endowing artificial organisms with intellect comparable to that of humans. These are questions that have been discussed in myth, fiction, and philosophy ever since ancient times (Kurzweil, 2020). There has been a great deal of hope placed in artificial intelligence, but the field has also had a number of devastating disappointments. Today, it has developed into an important component of the technology sector, playing a pivotal role in the resolution of a significant number of the most difficult issues in the field of computer science.

Given the human potential for deliberation, judgment, and purpose, artificial intelligence also deals with the study of concepts to bring into existence computers that react to stimulus consistent with conventional responses from people. This is done via the study of artificial intelligence (Vinge, 2021). Each of these machines need to participate in self-critical evaluation and the choosing of diverse perspectives from inside themselves. Due to the fact that they were made using human talent and work, these machines ought should behave in a manner that is congruent with life, spirit, and sensitivity; nevertheless, in reality, they are just imitations. Other researchers have seen artificial intelligence as systems that display traits of good human decision making by combining advanced hardware and software with intricate databases and knowledge-based processing models. Nevertheless, the researcher will provide a comprehensive investigation into the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, as well as its applications and advantages for human beings.

1.2   STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

It is a known fact that the field of artificial intelligence is relatively young (Yudkowsky, 2002). The creation of Artificial Intelligence as an academic discipline can be traced to the 1950s, when scientists and researchers began to consider the possibility of machines processing intellectual capabilities similar to those of human beings. Alan Turing, a British mathematician, first proposed a test to determine whether or not a machine is intelligent. The test later became known as the Turing Test, in which a machine tries to disguise itself as a human being in an imitation game by giving human-like responses to a series of questions. Turing believed that if a machine could make a human being believe that he or she is communicating with another human being, then the machine can be considered (Bostrom, 2002). However, artificial intelligence has been used in a wide range of fields including medical diagnosis, stock trading, robot control, law, remote sensing, scientific discovery and toys. However, many Artificial intelligence applications are not perceived as artificial intelligence (Bostrom, 2002). A lot of cutting edge artificial intelligence has filtered into general applications, often without being called artificial intelligence because once something becomes useful enough and common enough it's not labeled artificial intelligence anymore," Nick Bostrom reports. "Many thousands of artificial intelligence applications are deeply embedded in the infrastructure of every industry. In the late 90s and early 21st century, Artificial intelligence technology became widely used as elements of larger systems, but the field is rarely credited for these successes. For example; finance, hospitals and medicines, heavy industries, online and telephone customer service, transportation, telecommunication, toys and games, music, aviation, news, publishing & writing. However, this study seeks to provide an overview of artificial intelligence, its application and use to human being in general (Bostrom, 2002).