Emerging Technology Series: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

AI is intelligence demonstrated by machines which would typically be traits of the human mind.

“AI systems will typically demonstrate at least some of the following behaviours associated with human intelligence: planning, learning, reasoning, problem solving, knowledge representation, perception, motion, and manipulation and, to a lesser extent, social intelligence and creativity.” 

There are two types of Artificial Intelligence: narrow AI and general AI.

“Narrow AI is what we see all around us in computers today: intelligent systems that have been taught or learned how to carry out specific tasks without being explicitly programmed how to do so.” 

Examples of this would include smart home devices and recommendations on platforms like Netflix or Amazon.

Currently, Artificial Intelligence does not have agency. A human would have to programme AI to complete the tasks we so often see AI solving.

“Artificial general intelligence is very different, and is the type of adaptable intellect found in humans, a flexible form of intelligence capable of learning how to carry out vastly different tasks, anything from haircutting to building spreadsheets, or to reason about a wide variety of topics based on its accumulated experience.” 

When I looked up images of AI, most results were a brain which had been infused with technology. Daphne Leprince-Ringuet noted that “artificial intelligence is often associated with humanoid robots, suggesting that technology can match human brains”. Leprince-Ringuet argues that this adds to the myth around AI that they can act independently from humans. Additionally, it is an unlikely portrayal of AI in its deployment.

Why would businesses adopt AI?

“The infrastructure speed, availability, and sheer scale has enabled bolder algorithms to tackle more ambitious problems. Not only is the hardware faster, sometimes augmented by specialized arrays of processors (e.g., GPUs), it is also available in the shape of cloud services.”  

Big Data is a further reason why there is investment in artificial intelligence.

Who is interested in it?

For the reasons listed above there is more interest in artificial intelligence. Businesses who can offer AI services are there for organisations who are looking for these benefits. With more interest, there is an expansion of the industry.

However, some people choose not to implement new technologies because they are more resistant to change. There is a comfort in business as usual and organisations are more risk averse.

Should you consider AI?

Some have expressed their concern about AI and intelligent robots. Sir Stephen Hawking spoke about his concerns about AI possibly becoming smarter than humans and cause future problems.

Additionally, there are privacy concerns. AI could figure out what we look at online

Although some believe that AI would take jobs typically reserved for humans, others believe there is not a way AI could become that intelligent, harking back to the understanding of narrow AI.

Serviceteam IT has another blog on our website discussing artificial intelligence’s right to patent. This may also encourage the perception that a machine will develop its intelligence to perform a greater range of tasks.

According to scientists, AI currently remains limited to general tasks and is unable to have complete independence from a human.

AI Businesses

“Broadly speaking, AI companies fall into the following categories: 

1. Platform companies, providing general-purpose AI APIs to practitioners (e.g., Nuance, PredictionIO, Wise.io)
2. Enterprise start-ups, bringing a combination of their core technologies and professional services customization to the wider enterprise, following a model not dissimilar to SAP’s (e.g., Skymind, Predii).
3. Product companies focused on specific vertical applications of AI (e.g., Euclid Analytics, HoneyComb, Judicata)”

Numbers for AI this year compared to previous years

• In 2020, of the respondents who mentioned that they were going to deploy emerging technologies in the future, 42% of respondents reported that their organisation was going to implement AI.
• In 2019, 11% of respondents were actively using AI
• In 2018, 15% of respondents were actively using AI, 19.1% of respondents were planning to deploy the technology and 42.7% had longer term interest in the technology.

AI Glossary

AI = intelligence demonstrated by machines which would typically be traits of the human mind.

Robot = an automatic machine which resembles a human and can also replicate human movement.

Big Data = “large, diverse sets of information that grow at ever-increasing rates. It encompasses the volume of information, the velocity of speed at which it is created and collected, and the variety or scope of the data points being covered”