FAHEEM KHOTA ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) is a wide-ranging tool that analyses data, and uses the resulting insights to improve decisionmaking. This enables us to rethink how we integrate information. We may not realise it yet, but AI is being built into our lives at a rapid rate. According to author Darell M West, AI is not a futuristic vision, but rather something that is here today and being integrated with and deployed into a variety of sectors, such as finance, national security, health care, criminal justice, transportation and smart cities. There are numerous examples where AI already is making an impact on the world and augmenting human capabilities in significant ways. Here are five examples of it at work without us realising:
FACEBOOK Ever wondered how Facebook automatically suggests friends who may be in an image as soon as you upload it? This is an AI tool that Facebook built using artificial neural networks and algorithms that mimic the structure of the human brain to power facial recognition software. AI personalises your news feed and secures a monstrous portion of the market with deeply targeted advertisements.
How AI is shaping our world SIRI One of the first personal-assistant apps along with the Google personal assistant, Siri has come to have its own special place in the Apple product ecosystem. Siri uses machine-learning technology to become smarter and better able to predict and understand its users’ requests and languages.
ALEXA Another personal assistant that took the world by storm, Amazon’s Alexa has the ability to decipher speech from vast distances, search for information on the web, assist with alarms, appointments and much more. The true value of Alexa-enabled devices can be seen when used as part of a larger group of devices. In smart homes, lights can be turned on and off, they can be used as security devices, while using machine-learning to better understand language and teach itself how to respond accurately to questions.
NETFLIX Netflix uses predictive analytics based on customers’ reactions to films. It does this by having a handy thumbs up/down feature when you pause or end a show. The Netflix AI system analyses billions of records to suggest films you might like based on your previous reactions and choices of films. Your movie or series suggestions are based on what millions of others watched.
MAPS We may not realise this since its been around for such a long time, but using the ETA on Google Maps on your phone has AI built into it. With the vast populace using Apple or Android devices, Google Maps uses anonymous location data from smartphones to analyse the movement of traffic at any given time.
