A beginners guide to artificial intelligence

If I asked you to describe the first thing that pops into your head when you hear Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), what would it be? Do you imagine a world where machines take over the planet like Skynet in The Terminator movie series? Or maybe something simpler such as when you use your phone to ask Siri or your Echo speaker to ask Alexa, "What will the weather be like today?" Regardless of what first pops into your head, most of you probably imagine a world where a machine both thinks and acts like a human autonomously. In reality, A.I. is a computing device that can mimic human thought and decision-making ability. The device can perceive its own environment and act on its own to reach the goal.