How do you define AI?
Artificial intelligence is the ability of a computer system to perceive information, learn or reason from it, make decisions, and take actions to achieve a goal. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines it as "Any artificial system that performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight, or that can learn from experience and improve performance when exposed to data sets."
Can you name at least three different sub-fields of AI?
- Machine learning: Learns patterns from examples and data
- Natural Language Processing: Helps computers understand and generate human language responses
- Computer Vision: Enables computers to interpret images and video
AI has been around for about 70 years so far. Why is it booming right now?
- Huge amounts of digital data: The internet, smartphones, cameras, online services, and sensors have created enormous collections of text, images, video, speech, and behavior data.
- More computing power: Powerful GPUs and cloud data centers can train and run large models much faster than earlier computers.
- Cheaper access: Cloud computing and more efficient models let more students, startups, researchers, and businesses use AI without owning a supercomputer.
- Strong investment and adoption: Businesses see value in automation, analysis, software development, customer service, and content creation.
The Stanford AI Index reports that generative AI attracted $33.9 billion in global private investment in 2024. It also found that the cost of running a system at GPT‑3.5-level performance fell by more than 280 times between November 2022 and October 2024.
Can you name at least three application sectors where robots are being widely employed? What are the reasons?
| Sector |
What robots do |
Why they are used |
| Manufacturing |
Welding, assembling, painting, packaging, inspecting products |
High speed, precision, repeatability, and safer handling of dangerous work |
| Healthcare |
Assisting surgery, rehabilitation, lab work, and hospital delivery |
Precision, support for medical staff, and demand from ageing populations |
| Cleaning and hospitality |
Cleaning floors, delivering food, guiding visitors, carrying items |
Repetitive work, long operating hours, and staff shortages |
Can you identify three major challenges for a wheeled autonomous robot performing a 24h surveillance task in a large facility? (e.g., something like Mall of Qatar)
- Safe navigation among people: The robot must move safely through crowded, changing spaces. It needs cameras and distance sensors to identify obstacles, plan a route, slow down, or stop. This is hard because people do not move predictably. The robot must be cautious enough to prevent collisions but not so cautious that it constantly stops and blocks walkways.
- Battery life: A 24-hour task requires reliable power. The robot needs enough battery capacity to patrol, run cameras and sensors, transmit data, and process AI models.
- Security and privacy: Cameras may record shoppers and employees, so the system must protect video data, prevent unauthorized access, follow relevant privacy rules, and avoid using surveillance beyond its purpose.
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