Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a wide-ranging field of study
that includes everything from machine learning to natural
language processing and speech recognition. Artificial
intelligence can be used to automate tasks and make decisions,
or it can be used to augment human ability by giving machines
the ability to learn from experience. AI has been around for
decades, but in recent years it has really started to make an
impact on how we live our daily lives. Here's how AI is being
used right now, and how it could change the way we work in the
future:
AI Is Being Used in a Variety of Industries
AI is being used in a variety of industries to improve
efficiency, reduce costs and make better decisions. AI can be
used to automate tasks that are currently done by humans, such
as data entry or answering customer service calls. It can also
be used to detect cyber attacks on networks and take
preventative measures against these attacks before they
happen.
AI Is Making it Possible to Make Better Decisions
AI has already made it possible to make better decisions by
making it possible to:
● Make more accurate decisions, because you
have access to more data and can use that data in a smarter
way. For example, if you're an insurance company and want
your customers to pay higher premiums so they have a better
chance of getting paid out when they file claims, you can
use AI techniques like machine learning and natural language
processing (NLP) to analyze how your customers interact with
their policies and adjust those premiums accordingly.
● Make informed decisions faster, because the
AI tools are analyzing large amounts of data for you in
real-time. As an example of this kind of tool, consider
IBM's Watson Explorer application for marketing campaigns;
it uses NLP technology that can read through thousands of
pages per second as quickly as your clients are typing them
into search engines or social media platforms like Twitter
or Facebook—and then offers up suggestions based on what
other brands have done before.
● Make faster decisions by focusing on what
matters most rather than spending time reviewing all
available options manually; this could lead an organization
away from excessive risk aversion or toward greater
innovation opportunities because now everyone involved knows
exactly where the bar lies (i.e., there's no guesswork).
AI Is Reducing the Risk to Financial Services
Financial services companies are using AI to mitigate risk,
detect fraud, prevent cyberattacks and monitor customer
behaviour. These uses of AI help to automate processes that
would otherwise be time-consuming or difficult for humans to
do. For example:
● An insurance company could use AI to
decide whether or not it should offer a particular policy
based on the applicant’s medical history and other factors.
● A banking institution could use AI
systems to monitor its customers’ accounts for unusual
behaviour that may indicate fraudulent activity (e.g., large
deposits followed by quick withdrawals).
● A brokerage firm could use an AI
system to analyze customer data collected over time to
predict which clients are more likely than others to default
on their loans or incur late fees when paying bills (based
on previous patterns of behaviour).
AI Is Transforming Healthcare
AI is being used to help doctors, nurses and other
healthcare professionals make better decisions. How are they
doing this?
● AI-assisted analytics have been used
to predict patient outcomes with a high level of accuracy.
This can help doctors make more informed decisions about
treatment plans and procedures that will result in better
care for patients.
● AI-assisted decision support systems
can provide automated alerts when a health record doesn't
match other information provided by a patient, which helps
the doctor address potential problems before they become
serious issues. The system can also suggest potential
treatments based on its knowledge base of medical best
practices and data from previous patients who were treated
similarly. The system relies on machine learning algorithms
that allow it to continually update its understanding of how
best to treat certain illnesses or injuries as new studies
are conducted and published findings are incorporated into
existing theories about treatment options.
● Medical assistants—who assist doctors
in performing tests (such as blood draws), administering
medications (such as injections), taking vital signs in
hospital settings etc.—can be replaced by an automatic
robotic assistant if necessary while they're away from their
workplace due to vacation days or illness without affecting
patient care negatively because the robot will perform
exactly as expected every time without error.
AI Is Automating Manufacturing Processes to Improve Efficiency
There are many ways that AI is being used to improve
manufacturing processes. First, it can help automate manual
tasks and improve efficiency. For example, companies might
use AI to analyze data from sensors on a production line and
adjust the process in real-time (or even before it happens).
This allows for faster responses and better quality control.
Second, robots can be programmed with artificial
intelligence so they can perform certain tasks more
efficiently than human workers. Although this may seem like
replacing human jobs with machines, in reality, there's
enough room for both types of workers—and even more
opportunities for job growth as automation becomes more
sophisticated.
Third, while some people worry about cybersecurity breaches
when dealing with technology like autonomous vehicles or
smart factories, these concerns are overstated: The biggest
threat isn't hacking; it's people getting hurt because they
weren't paying attention while operating dangerous
machinery! By reducing accidents and injuries through
automation technologies such as machine learning algorithms
(which analyze data from sensors), businesses will be able
to focus on other aspects of their operations instead of
worrying about liability issues related to workplace safety
at all times."
AI Is Being Used for Design and Engineering
AI is being used for design and engineering, with an
increasing number of companies applying it to their product
development processes. AI is being used to optimize designs,
build new products, and create new materials.
A few examples of how AI can be applied in design:
● Optimizing designs - by using machine
learning techniques and training the system with historical
data on successful or failed products, a system can learn
how to improve your current design
● Generating new ideas - through machine
learning techniques such as associative memory or generative
adversarial networks (GANs), an AI agent could be taught to
come up with completely novel ideas for products based on
given constraints. This can help you brainstorm new
possibilities for your particular project that might
otherwise never have occurred to you because they're so far
outside your knowledge base or expertise level.
AI Is Being Used for Cybersecurity Protection
AI is being used for cybersecurity protection in a number of
ways.
● Detecting anomalies in data: AI can be used to detect
anomalous patterns in the data collected by a security
system. For example, an AI system may be able to identify an
employee who has been accessing sensitive information for no
apparent reason. This could mean that they may be involved
in malicious activity, or it could mean that they are simply
using their login credentials for something other than what
was intended (i.e., looking at their own medical records).
● Detecting malicious activity: An AI system can also
analyze data from multiple sources and determine if there's
any suspicious behaviour going on across the network or
within an organization's systems as a whole. If any
suspicious behaviour is detected, then your AI system will
alert you so that you can take appropriate action before
things escalate into something more serious—like a cyber
attack!
● Preventing cyber attacks: You'll want to make sure that
you're constantly monitoring all of your company's systems
so that if someone ever tries anything malicious like
deleting files, turning off servers remotely during business
hours when everyone has gone home...etc., then at least one
person will know right away what happened before it becomes
too late!
AI is Being Used to accelerate Creativity
AI is being used to accelerate creativity in many ways. For
example, AI can help with design, engineering and
innovation. One way that it does this is by generating new
ideas based on existing concepts or designs. This can save
time and effort for designers who may have difficulty coming
up with creative ideas themselves. Designers use AI to
generate these new concepts using processes like neural
networks or genetic algorithms that are trained on a large
database of existing designs and concepts.
AI also helps with storytelling by providing insight into
what people want from a story or scenario, such as
predicting how they’d react if certain situations were real
(such as getting stuck in traffic). It can even provide
suggestions on how a person might react in certain
situations based on their history of behaviour (like
watching Netflix). These services are being used today by
companies like Netflix and Amazon Studios who want to make
sure they keep viewers engaged while they watch content
online instead of turning away because it doesn't meet their
expectations either visually or story-wise!
Finally, AI helps with creativity by providing inspiration
for new ideas. It can do this in several ways, including
finding inspiration from other designs and concepts that are
similar to what you’re trying to create; suggesting new
materials or techniques based on the needs of the project,
or even providing suggestions based on what people like or
dislike about existing products.
AI Is Being Used for Predictive Maintenance in the
Manufacturing and Transportation Sectors
In the manufacturing and transportation sectors, AI is used
to predict when machines will break down. It's also used to
predict when parts will need replacing or when maintenance
should be done. This technology can help companies plan for
future production needs and save money by letting them know
exactly when they'll need to order new parts or replace
equipment before it breaks down, rather than waiting until
something goes wrong with a machine and then ordering more
parts after it's happened.
For example, imagine that you own a manufacturing company
that produces high-quality cars with lots of moving parts
(like engines). These tend not only to have the potential
for normal wear-and-tear but also operate under very high
heat conditions which makes them wear out faster than other
machines. If your company had access to AI systems that
could monitor these indicators closely enough - say every 30
seconds - then it would be able to tell you beforehand if
any individual part was about ready for replacement based on
its current performance metrics relative to other similar
components over time (this kind of information could be
stored in an internal database).
To make better decisions, reduce risk and be more efficient,
companies are using artificial intelligence.
AI is already being used to make better decisions, reduce
risk and be more efficient.
AI's ability to handle such a wide range of tasks can be
daunting at first glance. However, it is the combination of
all these capabilities that makes AI so powerful. The real
question lies in how you use it: what are your goals? If you
want to use AI to make better decisions or reduce risk and
improve efficiency then this guide will help you understand
where artificial intelligence comes from and what it can do
for you.
How will AI evolve and be used in the future
As AI becomes more and more sophisticated, it will be used
for a wide variety of tasks. In general, we'll see AI being
used for more complex tasks than they are now. For example,
today's AI can recognize objects in images or perform speech
transcription on demand; tomorrow's will likely be able to
do these things on an ongoing basis without any prompting
from humans.
In addition to becoming better at performing individual
tasks, we'll also see them become better at working together
as part of larger systems. Today's applications are
typically stand-alone programs that run on desktop
computers; tomorrow's will likely be integrated into
everyday devices like our phones and watches so that they're
always running in the background without our having to think
about them actively all the time (for example: providing us
real-time traffic updates while we're driving).
As AI becomes more sophisticated, we'll see it being used
for a wider variety of tasks. In general, we'll see AI being
used for more complex tasks than they are now. For example,
today's AI can recognize objects in images or perform speech
transcription on demand; tomorrow's will likely be able to
do these things on an ongoing basis without any prompting
from humans. In addition to becoming better at performing
individual tasks, we'll also see them become better at
working together as part of larger systems. Today's
applications are typically stand-alone programs that run on
desktop computers; tomorrow's will likely be integrated into
everyday devices like our phones and watches so that they're
always running in the background without our having to think
about them actively all the time
Conclusion
The way we live, work and play is changing. Artificial
intelligence is playing an important role in this
transformation. But what does all this mean for the future?
Where will AI go from here? Will it become more efficient or
less so? We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we
do have some ideas on where it could go from here.
Tim Davies
5 min read