How does artificial intelligence work? (2025)

Imagine for a moment that your computer could understand, analyze and even anticipate your actions. Isn’t that fascinating? However, that’s exactly what artificial intelligence (AI) does today. If, like me, you’re often amazed by the technological prowess of our time, let me take you behind the scenes of the world of AI. Together, we’ll dissect how these machines learn and why they’re radically transforming our daily lives.

What exactly is artificial intelligence?

Before diving into how it works, we need to lay a solid foundation. AI is simply the ability of a machine to imitate part of human intelligence. Whether it is to solve complex problems, make predictions or generate innovative solutions, these machines are capable of learning from data. You might say to me: “Okay, but how is that different from a simple computer program?” Good question! The magic of AI is that it does not need to be reprogrammed to improve. The more data it processes, the more efficient it becomes. Imagine an AI as an apprentice who, with each task it is given, becomes smarter, faster and more precise.

AI learns, but how?

It all starts with a mountain of data. Without this data, an AI is like a student without a textbook. It can't do anything. Using machine learning or deep learning algorithms, AI analyzes and learns from this data. For example, when you do a search on Google, it's not a human who finds the results for you, but an AI that, with each query, learns to respond better.

And one of the most intriguing techniques is artificial neural networks, which mimic the way our brain works. They are what allow an AI to learn in a loop, like a musician who repeats a piece until it is perfect. Each repetition allows the machine to refine its responses, identify patterns and provide suitable solutions.

Why has AI become so powerful?

You’re probably wondering why AI has made such a dramatic leap in recent years? The answer is simple: data, data. The explosion of the internet and the massive amount of information generated every day by connected devices, social media, and more have allowed AI to flourish. Without these billions of data points, AI would have remained a science fiction idea.

But that’s not all! Advances in computer hardware, such as graphics processing units (GPUs), have given AI the power to process this information at breakneck speeds. Without these GPUs, AI would never have been able to reach such peaks of performance.

How is AI changing our world?

Today, AI is creeping into every industry. From e-commerce, where it recommends products (thanks, Amazon!), to healthcare, where it helps doctors make more accurate diagnoses. It’s also at the heart of modern factories, optimizing production lines, and in financial services, tracking fraud more effectively than ever. In short, AI is everywhere, and it’s not done expanding.

And you, what would you do with AI at your fingertips? Maybe you could use it to automate certain tasks in your work, improve your e-commerce or even analyze complex data? The possibilities are endless, and that's what makes this technology so exciting.

Yes, but… limits?

Of course, like any technology, AI has its weaknesses. An AI can make mistakes, especially if it is poorly trained or if the data it is based on is biased. Ethical issues must also be taken into account. It is not enough to create a high-performance AI; it must also be fair, transparent and respectful of privacy.

So, AI, friend or foe? It will surely depend on how we choose to use it. But one thing is for sure, it is here to stay, and it will continue to shape the world we live in.