A. I.

Everywhere
Many of us already live with artificial intelligence now, but researchers say
interactions with the technology will become increasingly personalized.

What is artificial intelligence

Definition of artificial intelligence

AI is the ability of a machine to display human-like capabilities such as reasoning,
learning, planning and creativity.

AI enables technical systems to perceive their environment, deal with what they perceive,
solve problems and act to achieve a specific goal. The computer receives data - already
prepared or gathered through its own sensors such as a camera - processes it and
responds.

AI systems are capable of adapting their behaviour to a certain degree by analysing the
effects of previous actions and working autonomously.

Types of AI

Software: virtual assistants, image analysis software, search engines, speech and face
recognition systems


"Embodied" AI: robots, autonomous cars, drones, Internet of Things


AI in everyday life
Many of us already live with A.I., an array of unseen algorithms that control
our Internet-connected devices, from smartphones to security cameras and
cars that heat the seats before you’ve even stepped out of the house on a frigid
morning.

Below are some AI applications that you may not realise are AI-powered:

Online shopping and advertising

Artificial intelligence is widely used to provide personalised recommendations to people,
based for example on their previous searches and purchases or other online behaviour.
AI is hugely important in commerce: optimising products, planning inventory, logistics etc.

Web search

Search engines learn from the vast input of data, provided by their users to provide
relevant search results.

Digital personal assistants

Smartphones use AI to provide services that are as relevant and personalised as

possible. Virtual assistants answering questions, providing recommendations and helping
organise daily routines have become ubiquitous.

Machine translations

Language translation software, either based on written or spoken text, relies on artificial
intelligence to provide and improve translations. This also applies to functions such as
automated subtitling.

Smart homes, cities and infrastructure

Smart thermostats learn from our behaviour to save energy, while developers of smart
cities hope to regulate traffic to improve connectivity and reduce traffic jams.

Cars

While self-driving vehicles are not yet standard, cars already use AI-powered safety
functions. The EU has for example helped to fund VI-DAS, automated sensors that
detect possible dangerous situations and accidents.

Navigation is largely AI-powered.

Cybersecurity

AI systems can help recognise and fight cyberattacks and other cyber threats based on
the continuous input of data, recognising patterns and backtracking the attacks.
Artificial intelligence against Covid-19

In the case of Covid-19, AI has been used in thermal imaging in airports and elsewhere.
In medicine it can help recognise infection from computerised tomography lung scans. It
has also been used to provide data to track the spread of the disease.

Why is AI important?
Some AI technologies have been around for more than 50 years, but advances in
computing power, the availability of enormous quantities of data and new algorithms
have led to major AI breakthroughs in recent years.

Artificial intelligence is seen as central to the digital transformation of society and it has
become an EU priority.

Future applications are expected to bring about enormous changes, but AI is already
present in our everyday lives.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is pushing the boundaries of machine-enabled functionalities.

This bleeding-edge technology facilitates machines to act with a degree of autonomy,
resulting in effective execution of iterative tasks.

AI facilitates the creation of a next-generation workplace that thrives on seamless

collaboration between enterprise system and individuals. Therefore, human resources
are not made obsolete, but rather, their efforts are bolstered by emerging tech. In fact, AI
provides organisations with the luxury of freeing up resources for higher-level tasks.

The following are the primary advantages of AI:

 AI drives down the time taken to perform a task. It enables multi-tasking and
eases the workload for existing resources.
 AI enables the execution of hitherto complex tasks without significant cost
outlays.
 AI operates 24x7 without interruption or breaks and has no downtime
 AI augments the capabilities of differently abled individuals
 AI has mass market potential, it can be deployed across industries.
 AI facilitates decision-making by making the process faster and smarter.

HOW CAN AI BE DANGEROUS?

Most researchers agree that a superintelligent AI is unlikely to exhibit human
emotions like love or hate, and that there is no reason to expect AI to become
intentionally benevolent or malevolent. Instead, when considering how AI
might become a risk, experts think two scenarios most likely:
1. The AI is programmed to do something devastating: Autonomous weapons are artificial
intelligence systems that are programmed to kill. In the hands of the wrong person, these
weapons could easily cause mass casualties. Moreover, an AI arms race could inadvertently lead
to an AI war that also results in mass casualties. To avoid being thwarted by the enemy, these
weapons would be designed to be extremely difficult to simply “turn off,” so humans could
plausibly lose control of such a situation. This risk is one that’s present even with narrow AI, but
grows as levels of AI intelligence and autonomy increase.
2. The AI is programmed to do something beneficial, but it develops a destructive method for
achieving its goal: This can happen whenever we fail to fully align the AI’s goals with ours, which
is strikingly difficult. If you ask an obedient intelligent car to take you to the airport as fast as
possible, it might get you there chased by helicopters and covered in vomit, doing not what you
wanted but literally what you asked for. If a superintelligent system is tasked with a ambitious
geoengineering project, it might wreak havoc with our ecosystem as a side effect, and view
human attempts to stop it as a threat to be met.

There is much debate about the intrinsic good or

badness of AI – are we destined for a dystopian future
where AI decides we are no longer good enough?   Yet
perhaps the bigger risk in the short to medium term
is our human tendencies to malicious intent – are we
good enough for AI? In any case we must develop the
governance that allows us to have confidence in the
safety of AI.

Conclusion

In my opinion

I am a strong advocate of embracing technology – it is in our

nature to explore and innovate – yet we need to avoid the
adoption of technology ‘at any cost’ to protect our people, our
society, and our world.