What is AI?

Oxford Dictionary defines AI as "the study and development of computer systems that can copy intelligent human behaviour". 

In my words: I would just say it is a system that looks at tons of different data inputs and provides a prediction.

For example: If you ask it, “what does 1+1 equal?”

The AI will look all over the internet, math textbooks, web calculator apps, and whatever other data points it has access to, and see 1+1=2.

It doesn’t do the math in this basic example, to understand the concept of two single objects being added together.

It just says, based on 1 million data points (just an example number.)

99.9999% of them said 1+1 =2, so the AI you are using has 99.9999% confidence the answer is 2.

The second answer might be something like corporate speak for synergy, so it might say 3, and then explain the rationale.

All AIs do perform math functionality, to my understanding, this was just an example to demonstrate how it works.

Why is AI important?

Think of AI like Google on steroids. The part where you have to research through different articles to find what you need has been eliminated.

A carpenter who used to use a hammer and nails, now uses a drill and screws.

A roofer who used to use a hammer and nails, now uses an nail gun.

Some houses are prefabricated, or being built at the construction site like Legos in a day or two, which used to take 3-4 months.

Those efficiencies are equivalent to what AI can do, if properly implemented.