What is the primary difference between AI and machine learning?

The primary difference between AI and machine learning lies in their definitions and scope. Artificial Intelligence (AI) encompasses a wide range of technologies and systems that enable machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. This can include reasoning, problem-solving, understanding natural language, and perception.

Machine learning, on the other hand, is a specific approach within the broader field of AI that focuses on the development of algorithms and statistical models that allow computers to analyze and learn from data. By employing machine learning techniques, systems can improve their performance on tasks through experience, without being explicitly programmed for each specific task.

Understanding this distinction highlights that machine learning is a technique, methodology, or subset that forms a crucial component in the effort to achieve true AI. While AI includes various methods (including rules-based systems, logic programming, and more), machine learning is primarily about the data-driven approach to learning from patterns in data. This makes the choice identifying machine learning as a technique used to achieve AI the most accurate reflection of their relationship.