We all want that magic pill to cure us of our mundane needs, and this dreamy term has been ringing around the technology industry for decades, but what exactly does it mean today? It is a broad term, describing any machine or program that makes logical decisions or interacts with the world through perception, reasoning, learning, and creativity. As much as we are fascinated by these machines, we are also wary of them because they hold tremendous power over our lives. For example, in 2018, Google’s self-driving cars claimed 10 lives in two separate crashes in California and Arizona.
Not only did it happen right before an election year, but it would have been impossible for human drivers and passengers on those roads to notice. Unfortunately, there is no way around being able to interpret the level of driver intervention required to avoid such accidents.
What causes computers to make rational and intelligent decisions like humans? A computer learns a task after its execution, and is unable to repeat mistakes without external assistance, which means the computer must be taught. However, that training could take years, and even then, you will always need human input. Some examples include playing Go, recognizing faces in photos, identifying colors, and writing text pieces. All of these activities require conscious thought. And now, artificial intelligence is getting smarter, more powerful than ever before. So, how is this coming about, and what can we expect from AI in the future? Here’s everything you need to know!
How is AI changing modern life? Everything from voice assistants to facial recognition has made way for AI. These tools can now handle many things you do in your daily routine, which includes making dinner reservations, grocery shopping, sending messages, scheduling appointments, taking care of children, and more. This technology has become available at the touch of a button, and it won’t be long until all of us use AI in one form or another. Let’s go through five of the best ways AI is impacting society — and what lies ahead for advancements.
1. Voice Assistants
Voice assistants and related technologies are quickly becoming essential as part of everyday life, and while Siri may not seem far away, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, Apple’s HomePod, Android, and other similar devices are catching up.
The biggest impact of voice assistants is due to their ability to do tasks that require attention, like finding recipes by name and typing food reviews. Smartphones have replaced hand phones and made speech commands and responses simple and fast. While hands free interaction has begun to rise in popularity worldwide, research shows the convenience that voice commands bring when using their own voice has grown exponentially. Using this tool in conjunction with apps to read email, navigate websites, and schedule meetings has brought efficiency and peace of mind to people who live alone. If anything, it just might become second nature to some customers.
2. Facial Recognition
This feature doesn’t exist yet, though we don’t think it will be long before it does take off. Face recognition has been used for surveillance and security purposes for years, but advances in computer capabilities have given it an edge over traditional cameras and deep fakes. The most current version works by analyzing images via neural networks, which can recognize faces accurately based on specific features. With so much data accessible online (more than 2 million pictures from Facebook) it will soon be possible to find anyone and tag them as “someone you may want to look out for”. In fact, researchers say they’re working on algorithms that can predict criminal behavior in real time by looking at individuals’ faces. The key difference between facial recognition software and face recognition technology is that the latter looks into a person’s whole body, whereas with facial recognition, the goal is to identify a single person’s face. Because facial recognition only identifies certain physical features of the face, this doesn’t allow users to create custom filters. Instead, the system uses basic biometrics, where someone is detected by analyzing their unique traits. For example, a user’s eyes, nostrils, and skin tone. Then, biometric data gets analyzed to determine if that person is the same person as someone else.
3. Speech to Text
Analysis
Many businesses rely heavily on written content, and people frequently leave notes at home. Sometimes, information can get lost, scattered throughout papers, or even deleted completely. To tackle this problem, researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology developed a model that can be used to transcribe large chunks of spoken language into a digital format. That same project came to fruition while collaborating with scientists at MIT and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Their research utilizes natural language processing (NLP), an automated technique for analyzing and understanding human language. Researchers can then utilize text documents to understand whether they’re communicating effectively, how well they understand each other, and how accurate their work is. They can then translate this into actionable insights and recommendations for businesses that want to improve their customer experience.
4. Virtual Reality Interfaces
Virtual reality (VR) headsets have become popular products throughout recent years, and developers are constantly seeking new opportunities to integrate VR into the overall technology landscape. One promising area of interest that already exists is creating new markets. By having virtual objects that users can interact with, companies can sell games, applications, and even hardware. Another significant market opportunity is immersive healthcare, where patients can receive medical treatment from doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc. Furthermore, tech giants including Tesla and Meta have started experimenting with developing their own versions of head-mounted displays. Other companies, like Samsung, will likely continue to develop AR headsets, too. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you will be able to start exploring other VR experiences, eventually paving the way for a comprehensive VR ecosystem.
5. Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is a way of providing information that isn’t physically present in the environment. An example is seeing the word ‘cat’ written on the wall using augmented reality glasses. Or maybe you can point your smartphone camera at something, and instead of reading it, it becomes actual text. Regardless, this type of input exists because it provides a different perspective, allowing you to get a better visual representation of information. Plus, by adding information to existing surroundings, it allows you to perform actions in the real world. Of course, the process is different depending on the app. But with new developments in technology, there are potential benefits that both sides can benefit. Whether you want to play music that sounds like singing lyrics, add animations, or watch movies, it will all begin to exist in the near future.
The Internet was once considered the largest innovation of humanity and even continues to grow, and is expected to be on par with mobile communication systems in several years. There is no doubt that artificial intelligence and robotics have changed the way we live. Now, we understand that computers can reason, learn, and solve problems, and the development of autonomous vehicles is still under development, but one thing is sure: the advancement of AI will have tremendous impacts on people's lives in the future.
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