Artificial intelligence (AI) began in the 1950s, emerging alongside technological advances during the Atomic Age. Alan Turing, best known for his WWII codebreaking, laid the groundwork in 1950 by publishing a paper that imagined machines displaying human-like intelligence. The term “artificial intelligence” was introduced in 1956 by John McCarthy and his colleagues at a conference now seen as the official starting point in the field. At its core, AI relies on three main ingredients: data, algorithms, and computing power. These can be understood by comparing AI to a car: 1. Data acts as fuel: Just as your car needs gasoline or electricity, AI needs data to run. For example, a local bakery gathers sales numbers from past days as its fuel.