So What’s All This About AI?
By Mark McNease
This seems like a good time to address our most recent bogeyman, or should I say bogeyrobot? AI (artificial intelligence) is all the rage these days, with a great deal of misunderstanding and fear around it. Like every new technology – and AI isn’t really new at all – it can be used for nefarious purposes, such as impersonating people, their voices and images in service to someone’s agenda, and it can be used for the good in innumerable ways.
When we ask Alexa or Siri or Google to research something, we are essentially using AI. The technologies in our cars are reliant on forms of AI. It is, frankly, already pervasive in our lives and has been for a long time, and it will only increase. Autocorrect. GPS. Word suggestions when we type. Algorithms everywhere. These are all forms of AI, and we’ve gotten used to them. We will get used to its other, newer, forms too. It’s all about adapting and, for me, embracing these new technologies.
I’ve been using a form of AI to provide audio narration for these articles. I’m using it to do the same for other producers and companies, too. I even use it to help me write content! I’m not afraid of it at all, and I like to believe I’m astute enough not to be fooled by misuses of the technology. I will believe something that seems off only when I have verified it myself. If there is an audio or video recording of someone, say an American president, that is out of character or off in any way, I will not assume it is true until I have made certain myself. I believe that, unfortunately, the masses of people who will be misled by AI are already prone to being misled. Many of them want to be misled. And they will ‘share’ the misleading video or audio, and we’ll be off to the races.
AI, per se, is nothing to fear. It’s already very present in our lives, and for someone like me, who writes articles and offers narration (it’s a living, folks), it is an incredible tool that makes it possible to be even more creative, more imaginative, and more self-supporting!
Let’s see what AI has to say about … AI
The following is provided by Jasper and our android editorial team.
AI has become an ever-present part of our daily lives, appearing in a variety of ways to simplify tasks or provide more personalized experiences. For example, AI is responsible for many of the features we interact with on our smartphones and other home devices – from voice command assistants such as Siri to detecting facial expressions for security purposes. AI also plays a role in the retail industry, with websites using it to customize product recommendations and marketing campaigns based on user preferences. AI algorithms are also used by financial institutions to detect fraudulent activity, and healthcare organizations use AI to analyze medical images for diagnosis of diseases.
In addition, AI has been embraced by a variety of industries including transportation services such as Uber which utilizes machine learning algorithms to pair drivers with passengers. Autonomous vehicles also make use of AI for navigation and obstacle avoidance. Furthermore, AI also powers recommendation systems across major streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime that recommend content relevant to users’ viewing preferences. The possibilities for applications of AI are seemingly endless – meaning it will continue to shape the way we live our lives in the future as technology advances further.
The pros
One of the major pros of AI is its ability to automate tasks. This can be beneficial in a variety of scenarios, such as manufacturing or customer service. AI can help streamline processes and reduce labor costs, freeing up resources for other uses. Additionally, it can help reduce human error and increase accuracy in tasks that require precision. Companies are increasingly turning to AI to improve their efficiency and cut down on costs.
Another pro of AI is its ability to provide insights into data. With the increasing amount of data available today, traditional methods of analysis are not always effective. However, with machine learning algorithms, AI can quickly analyze large datasets and produce valuable insights that would otherwise be difficult to discover. This can be helpful in a range of industries from healthcare to finance where data-driven decisions are critical.
The cons
Despite the numerous advantages AI provides, there are some potential downsides as well. For starters, AI systems require significant amounts of data in order to learn properly, which can present privacy concerns if this data is incorrectly handled or misused. Additionally, there is the potential for bias in AI models if datasets contain certain types of sensitive information or do not accurately represent society as a whole. In addition, there may be ethical dilemmas related to the decisions made by autonomous systems like self-driving cars or robots performing surgery without direct human involvement.
Overall, while there are certainly some risks involved with using AI technology, its many benefits far outweigh any negative consequences if implemented correctly and responsibly. By taking measures such as measuring performance metrics carefully and ensuring datasets used for training models accurately represent all segments of society properly, companies will be able to leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence while avoiding potential pitfalls associated with it as well.
Copyright MadMark Publishing
Narration provided by Wondervox.