AI Wants Me Dead

Even through the steamy haze of buttered popcorn, Dr. Pepper and Raisinets, Hollywood’s warning signs about Artificial intelligence (AI) have been pretty clear.

It was relatively subtle at first, with that sassy supercomputer in space named HAL refusing to open the pod bay doors. But things escalated quickly. 

Next thing you know, WOPR is trying to launch a global thermonuclear war. Thankfully that crisis is averted at the last moment by the quick thinking of some guy we find out later is Ferris Bueller. But never one to be called a quitter, AI claps back and starts sending Terminators to kill Moms – which is a really bad deal that we’d like to prevent, except that we’re all kind of busy at the moment being simultaneously pacified and used for energy by a sophisticated simulation called the Matrix. 

Yep. It’s a lot to deal with.

The good news is that, beyond the silver screen, the future of AI is incredibly bright, with the potential to benefit and improve our lives in many ways. When used safely and responsibly, AI is a force for good in the world — not a threat to our existence.

Over the next several installments of ACP’s series on AI, we’re going to share multiple examples of the practical applications of AI that inspire and excite us the most. But let’s begin with a high-level definition and basic overview of AI. 

What is AI?

AI is a broad field of computer science that covers a range of technologies which pertain to the ability of a machine to mimic human cognitive functions, such as learning and problem solving. While still an incredibly broad term encompassing a range of technologies, AI is often grouped into three categories: machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision.

• Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows applications to become more accurate in predicting outcomes, without being explicitly programmed to do so.
  • Machine learning algorithms use historical data as input to predict new output values.
• Natural language processing is a type of AI that allows computers to understand and process human language.
  • NLP systems are used to process and understand human language, and they are used in a variety of applications, such as machine translation, text mining and chatbots.
• Computer vision is a type of AI that allows computers to see and understand the world around them.
  • Typically focused on extracting meaningful information from digital images or videos, computer vision systems are used to perform tasks like object detection, image classification and scene understanding.

How Do I Use AI?

AI can do a lot of things, but it’s particularly good at:  

• Automating tasks: AI can automate repetitive tasks that are currently done by humans, such as customer service, data entry and fraud detection. This can free up human workers to focus on more creative and strategic tasks.
• Making predictions: AI can use data to make predictions about future events, such as product demand, customer behavior and risk of fraud. This can help businesses to make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
• Personalizing experiences: AI can use data to personalize experiences for users, such as recommending products, providing targeted advertising and tailoring customer service. This can help businesses to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Solving complex problems: AI can be used to solve complex problems that would be difficult or impossible for humans to solve on their own. For example, AI is being used to develop new drugs, improve healthcare diagnostics and create self-driving cars.

AI is a rapidly evolving technology, and new applications are being developed all the time. Here are some exciting, practical examples of how AI is being used today:

• Healthcare: AI is now able to detect cancer cells in medical images with greater accuracy than human doctors, analyze data from wearable devices that can track patients' health and provide early warning signs of potential problems, and dramatically accelerate life science research and development.
• Finance: AI is being used to detect fraud, manage risk and provide personalized financial advice.
• Retail: AI is being used to recommend products, personalize shopping experiences and optimize inventory management.
• Manufacturing: AI is being used to automate production processes, improve quality control and optimize energy use.
• Transportation: AI is being used to develop self-driving cars, optimize traffic flow and improve safety.

Will AI Work for My Small Business?

AI's broad applicability, wide reach and leading-edge status have given it a certain mystique. Often it is seen as a complex and mysterious technology which is only accessible to large, tech-savvy companies. Thankfully, the reality is, once again, much more appealing (and exciting). 

Ultimately, AI is a practical tool to derive insight from the data that surrounds us. While AI is clearly not some sort of silver bullet that will solve all our challenges, when used effectively, AI can be a powerful tool that can help businesses improve efficiency, make better decisions, and gain a competitive advantage.

In the next installment of ACP’s AI series, we’ll explore machine learning — a branch of artificial intelligence which uses algorithms and historical data to identify patterns and make predictions, allowing applications to become more accurate in predicting outcomes without being explicitly programmed to do so. Machine learning is incredibly cool and we can’t wait to tell you more about it, as well asshare a few of our favorite examples of machine learning in action. 

ACP is proud to partner with many of the leading innovators in the AI space, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, HPE and Lenovo. If you’re interested in how AI and other innovative technologies can help your organization save time, improve efficiency and provide better service to your customers, we’d love to help. Connect with us today.