This document provides an introduction to artificial intelligence, including its history, applications, advantages, and future possibilities. It discusses how AI aims to help machines solve complex problems like humans by borrowing characteristics of human intelligence. The document outlines some key developments in AI's history from early computers in the 1940s to walking robots in 2000. It also describes common AI applications such as expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition, computer vision, and robotics. Both advantages of medical uses and potential disadvantages like self-modifying computer viruses are mentioned. The future of AI having personal robots or potentially turning against humans is speculated.