Week 1 · Lesson 1 · 45-55 minutes
AI or Not?
Sort everyday technology into artificial intelligence and ordinary software, and learn the one question that tells them apart.
- Materials
- This lesson in a web browser · Paper and pencil, or a notes app
- This lesson
- In progress
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What you'll be able to do
- Explain what artificial intelligence means in your own words.
- Tell the difference between AI and ordinary (traditional) software.
- Give three examples of AI you meet in everyday life.
Think about it
A calculator adds numbers. A photo app finds every picture of your dog. Both are software. Is either one 'artificial intelligence'? How could you decide?
Keep your first answer in mind — you will check it at the end of the lesson.
Make a prediction
Predict: out of a calculator, a spam filter, a light switch, and a voice assistant, which ones do you think use AI?
Vocabulary
See the full course vocabulary- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- Computer software that does tasks that usually seem to need human thinking, such as recognizing pictures, understanding language, or making predictions.
- Traditional program
- Software that follows exact rules a person wrote, step by step, and does the same thing every time for the same input.
- Input
- The information you give to a program, like a photo, a sentence, or a button press.
- Output
- The result a program gives back, like an answer, a label, or an action.
What 'artificial intelligence' really means
Artificial intelligence is software that does jobs that normally seem to need human thinking — like telling a cat from a dog in a photo, understanding a spoken question, or guessing which movie you might like.
The word 'artificial' means made by people, and 'intelligence' points to those thinking-like tasks. AI is not a robot body and it is not alive. It is a program running on a computer.
- A phone that unlocks when it recognizes your face
- An app that turns your speech into text
- A video site that recommends what to watch next
Common mix-up: A robot is not the same thing as AI. Many robots just follow fixed instructions, and lots of AI (like a spam filter) has no body at all.
Traditional software follows exact rules
Most software is a traditional program: a person wrote exact rules, and the computer follows them the same way every time. A calculator always returns 4 for 2 + 2 because someone programmed that rule.
Traditional programs are predictable. If you know the input and the rules, you can know the output. Nobody had to show the calculator thousands of examples of addition — the rule was written directly.
- A calculator app
- A light switch controller that turns a bulb on when you tap a button
- An alarm that rings at the exact time you set
AI learns patterns instead of only following written rules
AI works differently. Instead of a person writing every rule, the software is shown many examples and finds patterns in them. That is why a photo app can spot a dog it has never seen before — it learned what dogs tend to look like from lots of dog pictures.
So the key question is: did a person write exact rules for this, or did the software learn patterns from examples? If it learned from examples, it is probably AI.
- A spam filter that learned what junk email looks like from millions of messages
- A voice assistant that learned to recognize many voices and accents
- A map app that predicts traffic from patterns in past trips
Worked example
Deciding: is a spam filter AI?
- Name the input and output. Input: an email. Output: a label, 'spam' or 'not spam'.
- Ask: did a person write an exact rule for every email? No — there are too many possible emails, and spammers keep changing their words.
- Ask: was it shown examples? Yes — it learned from millions of emails people already marked as spam or not spam.
- Because it learned patterns from examples rather than following a fixed hand-written rule, the spam filter is AI.
Takeaway: To classify something, find its input and output, then ask whether it follows written rules or learned from examples.
Traditional software
- Input arrives
- Rules a person wrote decide
- Output
AI
- Input arrives
- Patterns learned from examples decide
- Output
Two paths from input to output. Traditional path: Input goes into 'Rules a person wrote', which produces the Output. AI path: Input goes into 'Patterns learned from examples', which produces the Output. The difference is the middle box — hand-written rules versus learned patterns.
The middle step is what separates traditional software from AI.
| Technology | How it decides | AI? |
|---|---|---|
| Calculator | Fixed rules a person wrote | No |
| Light switch | Fixed rule (button → light) | No |
| Spam filter | Patterns learned from examples | Yes |
| Voice assistant | Patterns learned from examples | Yes |
A comparison table. Calculator: rules written by a person, same output every time, not AI. Spam filter: patterns learned from examples, can handle new emails, is AI. Light switch: rule written by a person, not AI. Voice assistant: patterns learned from examples, is AI.
Activity
AI Detective
Decide whether each everyday technology uses AI, and give the reason.
- For each system, choose the category you think fits best.
- Pick at least one piece of evidence for your choice.
- Review your answers, then submit to see an explanation for each.
0 of 12 classified
1. Calculator
A basic calculator app that adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides.
2. Voice assistant
A smart speaker that understands spoken questions and answers them.
3. Automatic sliding door
A shop door that opens when a motion sensor detects someone approaching.
4. Video recommendation feed
A video app that lines up which clips to show you next.
5. Motion-sensor light
An outdoor light that switches on when its sensor detects movement.
6. Face-unlock system
A phone that unlocks when it recognizes its owner's face.
7. Microwave timer
A microwave that runs for the exact time you set, then stops.
8. Email spam filter
A filter that sorts incoming email into 'spam' and 'not spam.'
9. Remote-controlled toy car
A toy car a child drives with a handheld remote.
10. Weather-prediction system
A service that forecasts tomorrow's weather.
11. Spell checker
A tool that flags misspelled words as you type.
12. Robot toy following a set path
A toy robot that always drives the same preprogrammed path.
Check your understanding
Answer these to check that you can tell AI from ordinary software.
Question 1. What is the best clue that a piece of software is AI rather than a traditional program?
Question 2. Decide if the statement is true or false.
A basic calculator is an example of artificial intelligence.
Question 3. Which technology in this scenario is using AI?
Maya sets an alarm for 7:00. Her phone also suggests a photo memory 'One year ago' by finding similar pictures of her at the beach.
Question 4. Which of these robots is showing signs of AI?
Robot A always drives the exact same square path a person programmed. Robot B uses a camera to recognize and pick up only the red blocks it has learned to spot.
0 of 4 answered
Try it yourself
Find three AIs in your day
On your own, find three examples of AI you actually used or saw in the last day, and one example of ordinary software.
- List three technologies you used recently that learn from examples.
- For each, name the input and the output.
- Add one example of ordinary software and explain why it is not AI.
Success looks like
- Three real AI examples, each with input and output.
- One ordinary-software example with a reason it is not AI.
Reflection
Saved on this device as you type
Please don't include private information. Your answers are saved only in this browser and are never sent anywhere.
Recap
AI is software that learns patterns from examples, while traditional programs follow exact rules a person wrote.
- AI does tasks that seem to need human thinking, like recognizing images or language.
- The key question is: written rules, or patterns learned from examples?
- Everyday life is full of AI: face unlock, recommendations, voice assistants.
Grades 7–8 extension
Where is the line?
Some technologies mix both approaches. A modern email app might use a hand-written rule to block a known bad address AND an AI model to catch new spam it has never seen.
Find one technology you think uses both fixed rules and learned patterns. Describe which part is which, and why a designer might combine them.
Finish this lesson
- Attempt the knowledge check — not done
- Save a reflection (recommended) — not done
Attempt the knowledge check to finish this lesson.