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What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a term coined in 1955 by John McCarthy, Stanford's first faculty member in AI, who described it as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines." Today it is a broad term for computer systems that can perform tasks with human-like intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing images, learning from data, reasoning, and making decisions. Modern AI often works by finding patterns in large amounts of data and using those patterns to generate predictions or responses. It can be narrow (good at a specific task) or more general-purpose, like today’s large language models that can handle many tasks.


Artificial Intelligence (AI) mentioned at Stanford HAI

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? | Stanford HAI

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Machine Learning (ML) | AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) | Deep Learning

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AI Companions May Worsen Loneliness for Vulnerable Users, Stanford Study Finds
Alexander Gelfand
Aug 04
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Stanford research finds that users with limited social networks who seek emotional support from AI companions experience lower well-being.

AI Companions May Worsen Loneliness for Vulnerable Users, Stanford Study Finds

Alexander Gelfand
Aug 04

Stanford research finds that users with limited social networks who seek emotional support from AI companions experience lower well-being.

Healthcare
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The World Model and Spatial Intelligence Era: Governing AI Beyond Language
Daniel Zhang, Russell Wald, Ehsan Adeli, Elena Cryst, Daniel E. Ho, Caroline Meinhardt, Jiajun Wu, Amy Zegart, Fei-Fei Li
Quick ReadJul 27
Issue Brief

This brief highlights the emergence of world models and outlines a first-of-its-kind governance and policy agenda for the technology.

The World Model and Spatial Intelligence Era: Governing AI Beyond Language

Daniel Zhang, Russell Wald, Ehsan Adeli, Elena Cryst, Daniel E. Ho, Caroline Meinhardt, Jiajun Wu, Amy Zegart, Fei-Fei Li
Quick ReadJul 27

This brief highlights the emergence of world models and outlines a first-of-its-kind governance and policy agenda for the technology.

Foundation Models
Regulation, Policy, Governance
Industry, Innovation
Spatial Intelligence
Issue Brief
Open-Weight Models Aren’t Enough. We Need Truly Open Source AI Models for Science and Society.
Shana Lynch
Aug 04
News
iceberg showing model weights at the tip and a lot of unknown and deep technology under the surface of the water

As Chinese AI closes the capability gap, Washington and Silicon Valley debate open-weight models. Stanford HAI's James Landay says it's the right conversation framed the wrong way.

Open-Weight Models Aren’t Enough. We Need Truly Open Source AI Models for Science and Society.

Shana Lynch
Aug 04

As Chinese AI closes the capability gap, Washington and Silicon Valley debate open-weight models. Stanford HAI's James Landay says it's the right conversation framed the wrong way.

Privacy, Safety, Security
International Affairs, International Security, International Development
Regulation, Policy, Governance
iceberg showing model weights at the tip and a lot of unknown and deep technology under the surface of the water
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Deep DiveJul 15
Issue Brief

This brief surveys the commercial AI sovereignty market and argues that policymakers should focus on calibrating interdependence rather than pursuing full self-sufficiency.

The Commercial Landscape of AI Sovereignty Offerings

Caroline Meinhardt, Juan N. Pava, Caroline Yee, James Landay
Deep DiveJul 15

This brief surveys the commercial AI sovereignty market and argues that policymakers should focus on calibrating interdependence rather than pursuing full self-sufficiency.

International Affairs, International Security, International Development
Industry, Innovation
Issue Brief
Why Governing World Models Is AI's Next Big Policy Challenge
Shana Lynch
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News
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As artificial intelligence moves beyond language into the physical world through "world models," Stanford researchers warn that policymakers face an even steeper governance challenge than with large language models—and the window to get ahead of the technology is closing fast.

Why Governing World Models Is AI's Next Big Policy Challenge

Shana Lynch
Aug 04

As artificial intelligence moves beyond language into the physical world through "world models," Stanford researchers warn that policymakers face an even steeper governance challenge than with large language models—and the window to get ahead of the technology is closing fast.

Spatial Intelligence
Regulation, Policy, Governance
Busy downtown rush-hour driving scene from the perspective of a self-driving car
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Zhongnan Fang, Lina Cheuy, Hye Sun Na, Akshay Chaudhari, David B. Larson
Quick ReadMay 14
Policy Brief

This brief demonstrates how real-time monitoring can address critical gaps in the oversight of radiological AI tools.

Operationalizing Real-Time Monitoring of Clinical AI

Zhongnan Fang, Lina Cheuy, Hye Sun Na, Akshay Chaudhari, David B. Larson
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This brief demonstrates how real-time monitoring can address critical gaps in the oversight of radiological AI tools.

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