Artificial Intelligence has been all over the news this past year as companies ramp up investment into this transformative technology. The AI Boom is most often compared to the late 1990's dot-com bubble, sharing themes of rapid growth, transformative potential and speculative investment. But have you ever really thought about ways that AI will be used in our ordinary lives? I thought it would be interesting to do a little research on the many uses and implementations that we will be utilizing AI in the not-too-distant future.
- Machine Learning - This allows systems to learn from data and improve their performance through experience, without explicit programming. Reinforcement learning is a means of trial and error, using a system of rewards and punishments.
- Natural Language Processing - This enables computers to understand, interpret and generate human language. Applications can be used for translation, chatbots, and even virtual assistants.
- Computer Vision - This technology gives AI the ability to interpret and make decisions on visual information from images and videos. This can be used in facial recognition, autonomous vehicles and medical imaging.
- Robotics - This branch of AI combines perception, planning and control systems to design and operate robots that interact with the physical world. From mundane tasks such as manufacturing to military uses, robotics are the physical manifestation of Artificial Intelligence.
- Reasoning and Problem Solving - These fundamental components enable AI systems to draw conclusions from available data and use algorithms to find optimum solutions to complex problems.
It looks like the future of AI is here and the technology may very well solve some of humankind's biggest problems. As we become less dependent on our own critical thinking and turn over all of the decisions to AI, how could that go wrong? It reminds me of the 2008 movie, WALL-E, where humanity has become morbidly obese, living in floating hoverchairs, drinking their meals through straws, watching their computer screens constantly and becoming too lazy and oblivious to think or move. Let's hope that's not our future.