Episode 7 — Search and Problem Solving in AI

Episode 7 — Search and Problem Solving in AI

Author: Jason Edwards September 10, 2025 Duration: 25:20

Before machine learning took center stage, AI was already grappling with how to solve problems systematically. This episode dives into search and problem solving, two of the earliest and still fundamental approaches to intelligence. You’ll learn how problems are represented as states and transitions, and how uninformed search strategies like breadth-first and depth-first explore possibilities blindly. We’ll then move to informed searches, where heuristics act as shortcuts, guiding algorithms like A* to efficient solutions.

Beyond simple puzzles, we show how these methods apply in real-world settings. Constraint satisfaction problems, optimization tasks, and adversarial search in games demonstrate the versatility of these approaches. We also look at evolutionary algorithms and local search strategies that mimic biological or incremental processes. Applications in robotics, operations research, and planning illustrate why search remains central even in today’s AI. By the end, you’ll recognize search not as a relic, but as a foundation underpinning many techniques you’ll see throughout this course. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.


Jason Edwards hosts Certified-Introduction to AI Audio Course, an educational series crafted for anyone curious about how artificial intelligence actually works. This isn't a collection of abstract lectures or speculative futurism; it's a structured, audio-first curriculum that builds a practical foundation. You'll find a clear path through the core concepts that make machines learn, reason, and make decisions, moving from fundamental principles to their tangible effects in the world. The approach is deliberate and cumulative-every episode connects to the next, ensuring that whether you're a student, a working professional, or considering a new career direction, you're never left behind. The content demystifies the terminology and the technology, focusing on comprehension over hype. By engaging with this podcast, you participate in a logical progression designed to build genuine competency. The discussions prioritize clarity and real-world context, exploring both the potential and the current limitations of AI systems. It’s a focused auditory learning experience for those who prefer to learn by listening and who want a substantive, organized introduction to a defining technology of our time. The entire series serves as a comprehensive audio guide, meeting you at your current level of knowledge and systematically expanding it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 49

Certified - Introduction to AI Audio Course
Podcast Episodes
Episode 29 — AI in Education [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:39
Education is a sector where AI promises to personalize learning at scale. This episode looks at intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning platforms, and automated grading tools that free teachers to focus on higher…
Episode 28 — AI in Manufacturing and Logistics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:12
AI has become central to how goods are made, moved, and delivered. This episode begins with predictive maintenance, where algorithms detect failures before they occur, saving costs and preventing downtime. Quality contro…
Episode 27 — AI in Retail and Marketing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:52
In retail and marketing, AI’s role is visible every time you see a product recommendation or dynamic pricing change. This episode examines how customer segmentation, recommendation engines, and personalization platforms…
Episode 26 — AI in Finance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:21
Finance has always been data-driven, making it a natural fit for AI. In this episode, we cover early uses like algorithmic trading and credit scoring before moving into today’s advanced applications. Fraud detection syst…
Episode 25 — AI in Healthcare [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:18
Few fields show AI’s potential more vividly than healthcare. This episode begins with diagnostic support systems, from early expert tools like MYCIN to today’s advanced medical imaging models that detect tumors and abnor…
Episode 24 — AI in Edge and IoT Devices [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:02
AI is not confined to the cloud — it increasingly lives in the devices around us. This episode introduces edge AI, where models run locally on Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Benefits include lower latency, improved pr…
Episode 23 — Cloud AI Services — Off-the-Shelf Tools [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:08
Not every organization can build AI systems from scratch, and cloud AI services fill this gap by offering ready-made tools. This episode explains how major providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Goog…
Episode 22 — Human–AI Interaction — Interfaces and Usability [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:46
For AI to succeed, people must be able to use it effectively. This episode examines the design of interfaces that allow humans to interact with AI in ways that are intuitive, transparent, and supportive of trust. We star…
Episode 21 — Common Pitfalls and Bias in AI Systems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:34
AI systems are only as good as the data and assumptions that shape them, and many fail because of recurring pitfalls. This episode outlines the most common problems, starting with poor data quality, unbalanced datasets,…
Episode 20 — Evaluating AI Performance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:38
Knowing that an AI model works is not enough — we need to know how well it works, and under what conditions. This episode explores the frameworks and metrics used to evaluate AI performance. We begin with accuracy, preci…