Do you remember the machines in ‘MATRIX’ that enslaved humans or how ‘Chitti’ in the Rajnikant starrer ‘ROBOT’ fell in love with Aishwarya Rai’s character and took the city by storm? Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a fascinating concept of science fiction for decades and now it has become a living reality! With AI evolving at a breakneck speed, the dubiety arises as to whether humans will control machines or be controlled by them. Although human brain is what has created this intelligence, it won’t take more than 5- 10 years to see a sea change in the existing scenario. It is predicted that AI bots will power 85% of customer service interactions by 2020 and will drive up to $33 trillion of annual economic growth.
Let’s take a step back and understand a little more about AI before delving into the future!
What is Artificial Intelligence?
According to the father of Artificial Intelligence, John McCarthy, it is “The science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs”. Colloquially, the term “artificial intelligence” is applied when a machine mimics “cognitive” functions that humans associate with other human minds, such as “learning” and “problem-solving”.
History & Philosophy of AI
While exploiting the power of the computer systems, the curiosity of human, lead him to wonder, “Can a machine think and behave like humans do?” Thus, the development of AI started with the intention of creating similar intelligence in machines that we find and regard high in humans.
- With his Calculus ratiocinator, Gottfried Leibniz extended the concept of the calculating machine, intending to perform operations on concepts rather than numbers.
- The study of mathematical logic led directly to Alan Turing’s theory of computation, which suggested that a machine, by shuffling symbols as simple as “0” and “1”, could simulate any conceivable act of mathematical deduction.
- John McCarthy, the cognitive scientist coined the term in his 1955 proposal for the 1956 Dartmouth Conference, the first artificial intelligence conference. He believed that “every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it.”
Development of AI
AI is a concept that has been evolving since antiquity but with different names and applications. It is the answer to the calling future and is already simplifying and improving lives. The biggest shift in AI has come with two aspects.
- The first is with the new capacity for machines to learn for themselves. Earlier, scientists used to spoon feed the computers with the distinctions and reasoning they felt were central to the operation of intelligence. One of their breakthroughs involves the use of a technique called deep learning. In his article ‘Future of AI’, Vasant Dhar explains this as:
“Newer systems can take the visual, auditory, or language input directly. This advancement enables the machine to take direct inputs from the world without human involvement and create its own internal representation for further processing.
2. The other development driving this wave of excitement is the ubiquity of Big Data. As Dhar puts it:
“… we have witnessed a mushrooming of machine learning systems in virtually every domain where large data sets have become available. It is becoming more common for computers to perform tasks better than the best humans can.”
The Future that awaits!
1. Cyborg Technology
AI won’t stop with just Robots built on it. Researcher Shimon Whiteson thinks that in the future, we will be able to augment ourselves with computers and enhance many of our own natural abilities. Many of the Cyborg enhancements will be added per convenience but Yoky Matsuka of Nest believes that AI will become useful for people with amputated limbs, as the brain will be able to communicate with a robotic limb to give the patient more control.
2. Taking Over Perilous Tasks
Robots are already shouldering the dangerous task of defusing bombs. They are basically drones which are controlled by humans and not AI and, have saves hundreds of lives. Other jobs are also being reconsidered for robot integration. Welding, well-known for producing toxic substances, intense heat, and ear-splitting noise, can now be outsourced to robots in most cases. Robot Worx explains that robotic welding cells are already in use, and have safety features in place to help prevent human workers from fumes and other bodily harm. With AI integration it will all be controlled by machine learned geniuses!
3. Solving Climate Change
With the deteriorating and uncontrolled Climatic change, the need for AI to sweep in the picture has arisen. AI bots can store and access mind-boggling amount of statistical data. Using big data, AI could one day identify trends and use that information to come up with solutions to the world’s biggest problems.
4. Improved Elder Care
Getting on with age comes with a lot of difficulties. With people taking appointments to meet with their elderly parents, there will be a time when ‘Home Robots’ will help them with their chores and also prove to be companions to them.
The Future of AI is here:
From Google’s self-driving car to robot assistants who asses your needs before you have them, the future of AI is bright and certain. The future is already here. On October 25, Sophia, a delicate looking woman with doe brown eyes and fluttering eyelashes, took the world by storm when she became the first robot citizen after being granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia. She has more rights than any other woman in Saudi Arabia. The Sophia-bot was dreamed up by the brains at Hanson Robotics, lead by AI developer David Hanson said on the company website: “We envision that a rough symbiotic partnership with us, our robots will eventually evolve to become super intelligent genius machines that can help us solve the most challenging problems we face here in the world.”
Here’s her interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin:
Although we do not know the limitation of AI and its implications, one thing we know for sure is that soon our everyday lives will be connected with it. With its limitless power, solving impossible-claimed problems would be possible. But the question arises, will AI outcast our Natural Intelligence? Will AI replace humanity and take over the world?
Is this a Revolution or Ragnarok?
