We stand on the precipice of a vital moment in the history of the human species. We live in a time when our own inventiveness has the potential to radically transform the world as we know and understand it. 

In some cases, this ingenuity could be our saving grace while in some others, it could be the very reason for our downfall. We are now living in the age of artificial intelligence- and there is nothing anyone can do to slow down the revolution. 

Artificial intelligence has allowed machines to learn from experience and grow to carry out tasks that were previously only reserved for human beings. By utilizing advancements in machine learning, deep learning and artificial neural networks, computers, and robots can now be trained to accomplish particular tasks by processing vast amounts of data as well as recognizing common patterns in the data.

Numerous fields utilize AI today which is why advancements in AI are so important and welcome. You might have heard of flashy applications of AI such as chess-playing computers and self-driving vehicles that rely on artificial intelligence concepts such as deep and machine learning to operate. AI has become increasingly important because:

AI automates repetitive learning and discovery via data. 

This means that AI allows machines to perform recurrent, high volume computerized tasks, and jobs reliably and sufficiently without becoming fatigued as human beings do.

Existing ordinary products are more intelligent thanks to AI technology. 

In many cases, AI is not sold as an individual application. Instead, products that you already utilize regularly are improved using AI capabilities. A good example of this is Google Assistant or SIRI which are both added features to today’s generation of smartphones.

Progressive learning algorithms are now the focus

AI adapts via progressive learning algorithms, which act as a predictor or classifier of sorts. What this means is just as the learning algorithm can teach itself how to play a game of chess, it can also teach itself which products or stores to recommend the next time you need to shop online.

It has paved the way for enhanced accuracy

AI has the power to offer incredible accuracy thanks to deep neural networks. As a result, AI techniques like object recognition, image classification, deep learning can now be used to spot cancer on MRIs, for instance, with the same accuracy as trained human radiologists can.

Artificial intelligence can help solve some major problems in society

The best artificial intelligence books (great list here)  will tell you that AI is slated to change the world more than any other technology in the history of mankind, surpassing even electricity. There is virtually no major modern field or industry that has not been impacted by AI. 

This has particularly been the case in the last few years as data collection and analysis have increased considerably owing to the vibrant IoT connectivity, the ever-increasing speed of computer processing, as well as the explosion of connected devices today.

Some industries have only just started experiencing and enjoying the numerous benefits of AI while others are veteran users. In any case, both still have a long way to go as the impact of this technology on our present lives is almost impossible to ignore. Here are 5 things that AI can help solve:

Driver-less cars may eliminate human error

Driving is one of those mundane tasks that we are forced to endure as the human species. But thanks to the marvels of AI, autonomous cars could be transporting us from place to place a lot safer than human beings would.

As it stands, modern cars are enabled with lots of automatic modes that enable things like self-parking and automatic lane changes. Self-driving cars are designed to eliminate human error and distractions, which will ultimately lead to fewer accidents, fatalities, and casualties.

Illness detection

Artificial intelligence researchers are currently focused on developing AI models capable of detecting illness before they take a toll simply by smelling an individual’s breath. These illness detection models work by detecting aldehydes, which are the chemicals associated with sicknesses such as cancer, diabetes, brain injuries, and even stress.

AI for reading human emotions

Market research is underway to allow AI tools to track people’s emotions as they watch videos. Artificial emotional intelligence tools can be utilized to gather one’s facial expressions, body language, and behavior so that it can be analyzed against an emotion database that will determine the kind of emotion being expressed.  Once the emotion in question is determined, appropriate action can be taken based on the information supplied.

Advanced animal conservation

The ability to analyze massive amounts of data will change the way animal conservation is done. For instance, by tracking certain animal movements to determine where animals frequent, then it can be much easier to decide which habitats need protection.

AI will make learning easier

AI is slated to change the way that we learn in the future. In 2017, students from Georgia Tech University were shocked to discover that their teaching assistant had in fact been a robot that had been helping the students through the semester. The teaching assistant experienced a few challenges in the beginning, but after some time, the robot was able to answer student queries with 97% accuracy.

AI is not just valuable for teaching but for writing as well. Professional journalists and various news organizations all over the world including The New York Times and Reuters rely on artificial intelligence technology to write some of their best stories. 

In the future, this technology will also be able to create more creative pieces as marketers and businesses turn to AI to create better social media posts. So far, AI has already been used to write a novel titled The Day A Computer Writes A Novel.

Final Thoughts

Artificial intelligence’s progress and advancements have been staggering these last few decades. In the last several years, efforts to advance the field have resulted in some truly fascinating and awe-inspiring innovations. AI in medical research automated transportation and Big data analytics are just a few of the common uses of AI today.