Artificial intelligence: The past, present, and dynamic future

The conversation surrounding machines that can think and feel like human beings isn’t new. From the animated motions of the heartless Tin-man in The Wizard of Oz in 1939 to the current quintessential watch, The Black Mirror- we’ve always had this conversation. So now, as we bear witness to Artificial Intelligence (AI), can we say that modern technology has reached its peak? 

Artificial Intelligence: the breadcrumbs 

AI has become a part of our daily lives and for all our day-to-day needs. From a simple command to Alexa to using AI to replicate bees to pollinate flowers, it’s prevalent from our simple needs to the most scientific processes. But how did we get here? ‘The history of AI can be traced back to Alan Turing’s paper in 1950 titled “Computer Machinery and Intelligence”. To this day it is one of the most cited papers in modern philosophy’ According to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Alan Turning was just one of the people studying intelligence that could parallel humans back then. Hundreds of mathematicians, philosophers, and scientists were intrigued by machines that were becoming more prevalent in people’s lives, especially with the third industrial revolution paving the way for millions of new opportunities that dealt directly with the effects and repercussions of digitization, as per Desoutter Tools

However, Turing’s theory remained just that- A theory. He and hundreds of other scientists had their theories remain only on paper, as technology had simply not evolved enough to be tested on computers and machines. Before 1945, computers hadn’t evolved enough to test out advanced comments, and the largest detriment to testing was the fact that computers could only execute commands, but not store them. Computers were also notoriously expensive, with one machine costing upwards of $200,000 making it virtually impossible for theorists to conduct research.  

Things started to look a lot less bleak for AI researchers when the historical conference about artificial intelligence was presented at Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. The term “Artificial Intelligence” was coined at this very conference and through the collaborative efforts of several scientists, namely John McCarthy and Marvin Minsky, the conference concluded that computers could indeed mimic the problem-solving efforts that humans were capable of.

Artificial Intelligence has reached its zenith?

A key contributing factor to the boom of AI has been the rate at which technology grows. The scope of research broadened and no longer was the scope of AI held back by limited technology. Worldwide artificial intelligence (AI) software revenue is forecast to total $62.5 billion in 2022, an increase of 21.3% from 2021, according to a new forecast from Gartner, Inc.

One of the largest contributions to AI has been its integration into Business Intelligence (BI). BI has a massive role in determining how businesses run down to the smallest functions. However, there are some gaps in BI that AI can fill. One of the major gaps in how data is processed in BI. In Business Intelligence, data findings are presented in a visual format when they’re presented. But the data can be hard to read and interpret simply due to the massive scale. AI can help define the information at an easier scale and help businesses have better insight into actionable data. 

AI is everywhere- when the future and present merge paths

AI has become such an integral part of urban lives and businesses that people are often not aware of the small ways they interact with AI now. Think of a simple command to Alexa, or the advertisements that show up when we scroll through Instagram - the credit goes to AI.  

AI is being used in unexpected ways to advance ourselves in society and businesses are currently placing a lot of stock into AI. In 2022, 48% of the CIOs plan on investing in AI technology, according to Gartner Newsroom   

BI has a reputation for being notoriously hard to crack and train. By training AI, processes can be simplified to fill the cracks in BI that might not be achieved solely through business operations and data. Some dedicated professional analysts might find business data study a tedious task and run into complications, this is when AI training through modes like deep learning, NLP, and machine learning can help simplify the overall process. 

AI has found some unexpected use in several industries that people wouldn’t have fathomed a few years ago. An app called Plantix uses AI to detect the presence of pests in crops, along with other vital information about the nutrients, moisture, and crop health and has been widely used by farmers to help boost harvest, as researched by ThinkML . 

How AI is making way for the 4th industrial revolution? 

AI has historically been used by and for customers. However, the last decade has had several new implications for AI, and we see it shifting towards industrial applications. AI has also shifted the way people work and use everyday apps. A stellar example of this is the integration of Microsoft365 and AI.

AI has been implemented on the Microsoft suite, so all the software used could have integrated AI functions for lay-persons to access. In Healthcare, it was concluded that in 2020 alone, organizations were able to save approximately $300 billion a year with the successful implementation of AI-based software. 

Due to the advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be bringing major changes in the way we work and use technology. New roles will be required for making the move to the new order, and it will also boost employee culture and how work is done. One of the major changes that specialists predict is the increase in work-from-home jobs, according to Change Recruitment Group. 

This change is majorly connected to first-world countries, but one of the changes that are being predicted is the change in jobs that will occur due to automation, finds a survey by Economist. In the near future will be witnessing major changes taking place in the agricultural and manufacturer roles which will be replaced by machines. However, with this change comes a need to have people who can operate automatic machines, leading to a shift in the types of jobs these industries will have. 

Is AI the future, or are we closer to the future than we imagined? With major changes to be seen in the use of language and motion, AI is going to lead to some very interesting developments in major industries. Human cognition is close to irreplicable, and despite machines and feelings not being synonymous, it will be interesting to see how industries advance to recreate previously unimaginable skills. 

The article has been written by Piyush Goel, founder & CEO of Digital Transformation Company, Beyond Key