Artificial Intelligence - A computer or machine that has been created to "think" like a human.

A world of working robots, flying cars, camera eyes, military robots, slave robots, and just a lot of robots in general that end up revolting against their human masters and destroying the earth. Right? No, fortunately, you're wrong (for the mean time at least). Whenever someone mentions artificial intelligence, more than half the people in the room think of fictional artificial intelligence, A.K.A: anything listed above.

A lot of people don't realize that the world we live in today is filled with all types of AI. Almost anything we use involving technology involves AI. Plus a common misconception is that artificial intelligence is bad (please resort back to the first sentence to see why). And it's all thanks to our creative directors and brilliant writers that this misconception is common due to their wonderful dystopian and utopian literary and theatrical works.

But I can assure you of one thing. We are already living in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Sure, people still look to the future whenever the term "AI" is mentioned, but we should actually be looking at our present-day selves. We may not have discovered everything about AI, but we have definitely done more than just scrape the tip of the iceberg.

Like I previously mentioned, AI is found in technology almost everywhere. It may not be as advanced as people may dream of or fear , depending on perspective, but it's there alright. Reach into your pocket right now and pull our your phone. Whether Apple or Android or Windows mobile, you're carrying a artificial intelligent robot with you. Siri, Cortona, and Google now are all digital personal assistants. Need help with some quick math problem? Need directions to the nearest gas station? Need to text someone really quick? Tell your digital personal assistants on your phone/tablet and they can help you. And its all powered by yours truly, AI.

Since the first video games were invented, artificial intelligence has been behind it all. Especially with first-person characters (when you ARE the character). Since you're in control of what your character does, your character actually responds to what you do. It's a common misconception that the game directors behind the scenes make the game very complicated and make sure the characters are prepared to do anything. And they are, just not in the way some people would think. Most people, including myself at one point, thought that there were extreme geniuses who had to create thousands upon thousands of different reactions for the character, so he/she was basically defined by a very complicated code. But that's not how they work; the characters are defined by artificial intelligence. You may not believe it, but the character you choose to play, reacts to you and you only as the player, letting the characters respond to stimuli, scan their surroundings for survival items, and move in unpredictable ways. And it's only getting better as the years go on.

Smart cars are already being invented. I previously mentioned how people are expecting flying cars, but one step at time! Now inventors are in the process of bringing a new car in the automobile markets. Smart Cars. Autopilot cars that "look" on the road and drive you almost anywhere you want. Artificial intelligence lets these cars take you anywhere. But in current automobile markets, we're seeing AI as well. Cars that have auto brakes. Auto brakes that hit the markets 2 years ago. If you're not paying attention on the road while backing up or even just driving, the sensors keep a "eye" out for anything you may hit such as poles or even people. If you're on the verge of hitting something or someone, and you don't realize it, the car brakes for you automatically. They may not seem like a big thing, but it saves lives, and it's power-driven by artificial intelligence. So yes, we may not have flying cars yet, but we're getting there.Ever been on a customer serve website when a chat forum pops up, and it seems as if a customer service agent is asking you what you need? Are there robots behind it all? No! Not actual robots sitting behind desks answering questions, but rudimentary AI robots (encoded into the site) that can give some help with automated responses. They aren't always helpful due to some lack of knowledge and little understanding of the natural language, but humans are improving that. There are some sites out there that are powered by rudimentary AI robots that can now extract extra information for their customers.

The same can go for Netflix and Music services. When you watch some show on Netflix, and you really seem to enjoy it, Netflix has "artificial intelligence" encoded within the program to give you suggestions on other shows just like the one you are watching. Same goes for music like Pandora or Spotify. If you're listening to a song on repeat or like a certain song, these music services' AI takes into account all that information to give you some more suggestions that you may like.

And these are only some of the ways AI is in our daily lives. They help with other things like credit score, security surveillances, banks, fraud alerts, and so much more. AI also may have its downs, especially if it gets into the hands of the wrong people, but right now, in 2016, if we can keep finding positive uses for artificial intelligence and keep advancing it, I'm sure we won't have to worry about robots taking over the world. A new age has dawned upon us all, and now it's our turn to see what we can do with it. Welcome to the Age of Artificial Intelligence.