If you have wondered what this Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all about, here is some food for thought. If you have shopped online, you have probably experienced AI in the form of recommendation engines. It is powering all those recommendations these apps have been putting across to you. AI generates patterns based on your shopping behavior and preferences and shares personalized inputs that appeal to you. Your voice commands to Alexa or Siri are also form of AI interaction.
Have you ever noticed that your social media threw some advertisements your way based on the searches you did a little while ago? AI is at work, tracking your searches to understand your interests, and will send targeted ads your way. Even those cabs you hail through aggregator apps like Ola or Uber are using AI in some way. AI has invaded almost all aspects of our lives. Whatever data is generated and used, data analytics powered by AI has a significant role to play in making sense of it.
What is AI?
AI is Artificial Intelligence that computers gain, assisted by humans. For a long time, the superiority of man has been the thinking brain that helps us think, act, and respond to situations in a particular way. This lack of contextual intelligence was the biggest drawbacks of computers till AI man thought of AI. It is not new and has been around for some time. By definition, AI indicates the ability of computer systems to process information and generate human-like outcomes based on their learning. However, since computers do not have inherent thinking capabilities, human create machine learning models to train computer on various scenarios with years of data. The more data these systems have access to, the better it is. The more these systems get used, the more they learn and better their outputs are.
It can help solve complex problems, suggest patterns you may not otherwise note, predict future outcomes, and more. It is a vast space encompassing a wide variety of technologies. For example, AI systems coupled with Internet of Things (IoT) are helping create smart systems and cities that can respond faster to incidents like thefts, accidents, etc. IoT is an associated technology in which sensors are attached to devices and systems to capture real-time data for better monitoring and management. AI-powered automation is helping industries increase their productivity and enhance their efficiency. Speech recognition and sentiment analysis technologies help AI understand human language. Not withstanding the rogue robots seen in the Robotic movies, robotics powered by AI has opened up immense possibilities for humans. It is revolutionizing how we live and work.
Advantages
AI-enabled systems do not make errors like humans. Decision are far more accurate and based on the facts rather than emotions. For example, AI-powered hiring systems are more transparent, fair, and unbiased, unlike humans. They do not get tired performing the routine tasks repeatedly and are always available- they do not fall sick or need rejuvenating holidays. Many businesses are using AI-powered Chatbots* to provide 24×7 services to their customers. They are helping surgeons perform minimally invasive precision surgeries. A query to ChatGPT* can give you loads of structured information for which you have to spend hours searching and sifting. From driverless cars to remote healthcare services AI application throw up endless possibilities.
For elderly people, AI can help in many ways. AI can improve their quality of lives. Chatbots and voice assistants can become their missing family members to remind them to take their medicines, go for timely health check-ups, prepare their shopping list, or even place the orders. AI-powered smart homes can make you feel safe and secure. If you have health monitoring devices connected to AI apps, they can sound you or your near and dear ones about your blood pressure or heart rate going up, to take necessary actions.
Explaining * marked items-
Chatbots– At the most basic level, a chatbot is a computer program that stimulates and process human conversation (either written or spoken), allowing humans to interact with digital devices as if they were communicating with a real person.
ChatGPT– it is a form of generative AI- a tool that lets users enter prompts to receive humanlike images, text or videos that are created by AI. It is available in the form of free app, and even in subscription model for advanced version.
In my forthcoming blogs, I might go deeper into the business of AI.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
18th March 2023.