Artificial Intelligence is a kind of simulation machine, but an advanced one. Scientists raised the important concept on Dartmouth Conference of Artificial Intelligence that “Human intelligence can be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it." According to this theory, artificial intelligence is a simulation machine that simulates a real world object, human mind. However, the simulation machine creates the virtuality from the reality and tries to produce realness in the virtual space whereas what human minds process are intangible ideas where everything resides in the virtual space. Thus artificial intelligence is essentially trying to create the virtual human-thinking capabilities in the virtual space without using brain as the media of delivering ideas. Bill Nichols stated that simulation “brought about changes in our perception of the world”. And more importantly “the simulation displaces any antecedent reality, any aura, any referent to history and frames collapse.” According to Bill Nichols’ theory, artificial intelligence, as an advanced simulation machine which possesses human-thinking capabilities, develops a platform where the old models of intellectual processes are gradually replaced by the new models where the cybernetic system and computer artificial intelligence are creating representations of “virtual” thoughts different from people’s outdated knowledge. Since virtual intelligence becomes possible, it is reasonable to think that human beings can communicate and interact with the artificial intelligent machine in the virtual space. And moreover, human identities are fragmented into their “lives” as they start to recognize and understand human beings in their own way of thinking.

A simple and intensive utilization of Artificial Intelligence, the advanced simulation machine, is drone development. This is a great example how drone as an AI identify specific people based their prejudgement of people's appearance and behavior. To read more about how drone and drone pilot interact and how this field works. Please read these great passages about Drone, Drone Pilots and virtual simulation, Self in Virtual Simulation and Real Repercussions: Drone Pilots and FBR Soldiers and Drone Pilots.
                                                                                 

Sources:
1. Dartmouth Conference of Artificial Intelligence
2. Bill Nichols (1988), The Work of Culture in the Age of Cybernetic Systems