Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what you probably thought it was
Malicious Robots causing destruction in a city. Highly-intelligent human-like machines controlling the minds of others around them. Systems which can destroy humanity at the touch of a button. These are just some of the things the entertainment industry may have caused you to correlate with AI.
Artificial Intelligence, also commonly referred to as ‘Machine Intelligence’, is a concept that most would associate with science-fiction films or something that only the top engineers at NASA would know how to use.
While the space industry uses AI, many overlook how frequently we use Artificial Intelligence in our day-to-day lives.
AI in Business
Over the years, some might say that technology has come a long way, not least in Artificial Intelligence. Data shows that 15% of enterprises use AI worldwide, and 31% have stated they have ambitions to employ it in the future.
However, the use of AI in modern businesses already covers much more than you may have thought initially.
From online chatbots used for helping customers to scan-reading medical equipment, AI is becoming a fast-growing constituent many businesses today.
You probably will have come across chatbots at some point. These chatbots are programmed to respond to your queries and questions based on the information you give.
For example, an e-commerce business might have a chatbot which detects words such as ‘return’ or ‘shipping’ and refers the user to the correct page.
However, the program might not factor in spelling or context- so it might not be useful for every business – yet.
Another fascinating use of AI in business is Smart Agents. Several software companies offer software which companies can use to achieve a specific business objective.
The company ‘Blytheco’ offer Smart Agents, which can ‘watch target companies for planned implementations of products in your market’, giving the user a massive advantage in staying ahead in their industry sector – while letting a machine do all of the work!
AI in Entertainment
We often perceive the entertainment industry as a very human and emotion-based occupation. So, you might think that surely AI wouldn’t be forefront in this industry? You would be incorrect.
Businesses, such as Netflix, have already implemented AI features into their platform. The viewer feeds the program information about whatever they are watching. This information could be a rating, how long it was viewed for, which genre the content is, and so on.
The Netflix algorithm then analyses the data and suggests further content based on what other subscribers similar to you have enjoyed. While this feature isn’t exactly perfect just yet, the more data submitted and analysed by the program means, the more accurate the system gets!
In Germany, film companies have been developing software which can give an age-rating for a film.
Managing Director of the German Film Industry, Christiane von Wahlert, has been quoted to say, “We realise that algorithms are pretty good decision makers,” when asked about AI replacing humans in deciding on age-ratings for films within the next few years.
Some might argue that this would result in fewer job opportunities. However, no one can deny just how revolutionary this technology is.
AI in your life
Still not convinced that AI is more common than you might think?
If so, it might shock you to discover that 6 billion devices, across the world, use AI. That’s including your phone, tablet, and likely a few of the apps you have installed, too!
Companies such as Google have developed software which use AI to copy the user’s handwriting to generate sentences. The developments show just how advanced the industry is becoming when you compare it to its beginnings in the late 1950s.
Another everyday implementation of Artificial Intelligence is within the car industry – a great example being Elon Musk’s Tesla.
While some might argue their ambiguity in trusting this new technology, experts predict that 300,000 lives could be saved each decade, in America alone, from the use of driverless cars- imagine how many could be saved globally!
Conclusion
Many people have overlooked the fact that Artificial Intelligence has become a deeply rooted feature of our society since its beginnings in 1956 and has come a long way from being able to win a few games of checkers.
By this rate, one can only wonder what AI will look like in the next ten years.
Some predict the advancements by 2050 will be astronomical, having Machine Intelligence develop so much that it will be difficult to distinguish a computer from a person!
We’re coming into an age where we rely on Artificial Intelligence for many of our everyday tasks. From menial jobs, such as deciding a new TV show to watch, to more significant aspects, for example, reading CT scans for medical patients.
The majority of the time, we don’t realise that we depend upon AI, showing just how far this industry has come!
The question is – how far will it go?
