All over the world, there are continuous discussions about ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), how it is changing the way of living, and how in the future many jobs might become redundant. If you wondered what this AI is that you have not yet come across, 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 put across to you. AI generates patterns based on your shopping behavior and preferences and shares the personalized inputs that appeal to you. Your voice commands to Siri or Alexa are also a form of AI interaction. ChatGPT can write an article for you on any subject.
Have you noticed that your social media threw some advertisements your way based on the searches you did a little while back? AI is at work, tracking your searches to understand your interests, and will send you the targeted ads your way. Even those cabs you hail through aggregator apps like Ola and Uber are using AI in some way. AI has invaded almost all aspects of our lives. Wherever data is generated and used, data analytics powered by AI has a significant role to play in making sense of it.
What is this AI
It is Artificial Intelligence that computers gain, assisted by humans. For a long, 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 drawback of computers till man thought of AI. It is not new and has been around for quite 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, humans create machine learning models to train computers 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 the 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 the Internet of Things (IoT) are helping create smart systems and cities that can respond better and 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. Notwithstanding the rogue robots seen in 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. Decisions are far more accurate and based on facts rather than emotions. For example, if AI-powered hiring systems are more transparent, fair, and unbiased like humans. They do not get tired from performing routine tasks repeatedly and are always available. They do not fall sick or need holidays for rejuvenation. Many businesses are using AI chatbots to provide 24*7 service to their customers. They are helping surgeons perform minimal invasive precision surgeries. A query to ChatGPT can give you loads of structured information for which you would have to spend hours searching and sifting. From driverless cars to remote healthcare services, AI applications throw up endless possibilities.
What Does it Mean for Seniors?
How does AI help seniors? They can start using AI to improve the quality of their lives. Chatbots and voice assistants can become your missing family members to remind you to take your medicines, go for timely health check-ups, prepare your shopping list, or even place your 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 action. It can help the family track you while you are on the move. AI is transforming senior healthcare significantly, robotic knee replacement surgeries for instance. Of course, there are some caveats. However, our natural intelligence can help us trump those.
So enjoy the era of AI.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
29th August 2023