A short primer on AI, what it can do, what it cannot do and what it means for marketing
According to Wikipedia “Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence exhibited by machines”.
In computer science, an ideal “intelligent” machine is a flexible rational agent that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of success at some goal. Colloquially, the term “artificial intelligence” is applied when a machine mimics “cognitive” functions that humans associate with other human minds, such as “learning” and “problem solving“.
This is a great, basic explanation. Except that it does not really explain what AI does.So what does AI do?
The White House, or more specifically the National Science and Technology Council recently tried to answer that question and came to the following conclusion: “There is no single definition of AI that is universally accepted by practitioners. Some define AI loosely as a computerized system that exhibits behavior that is commonly thought of as requiring intelligence”.
Others define AI as a system capable of rationally solving complex problems or taking appropriate actions to achieve its goals in whatever real world circumstances it encounters. Experts offer differing taxonomies of AI problems and solutions.
A popular AI textbook used the following taxonomy:
- (1) systems that think like humans (e.g., cognitive architectures and neural
networks); - (2) systems that act like humans (e.g., pass the Turing test via natural language processing;
knowledge representation, automated reasoning, and learning), - (3) systems that think rationally (e.g., logic solvers, inference, and optimization);
- (4) systems that act rationally (e.g., intelligent software agents and embodied robots that achieve goals via perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communicating, decision-making, and acting).”
- Sounds complicated!
- “AI is whatever we can do that computers can’t…yet.” Nancy Fulda, a science fiction writer says.
Why is Artificial Intelligence so important?
AI is important because it is here and it is here to stay. The consequences, mostly good, of it are a reality and the better we understand them the better we can leverage them for a positive result.
AI and machine learning is their potential to improve people’s lives by helping to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges and inefficiencies. Many have compared the promise of AI to the transformative impacts of advancements in mobile computing.
Public-and private sector investments in basic and applied R&D on AI have already begun reaping major benefits to the public in fields as diverse as health care, transportation, the environment, criminal justice, and economic inclusion.
The rapid growth of AI has dramatically increased the need for people with relevant skills to support and advance the field. An AI-enabled world demands a data-literate citizenry that is able to read, use, interpret, and communicate about data, and participate in policy debates about matters affected by AI.
AI knowledge and education are increasingly emphasized in Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education programs.
AI’s central economic effect in the short term will be the automation of tasks that could not be automated before. This will likely increase productivity and create wealth, but it may also affect particular types of jobs in different ways, reducing demand for certain skills that can be automated while increasing demand for other skills that are complementary to AI.
Analysis by the White House Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) suggests that the negative effect of automation will be greatest on lower-wage jobs, and that there is a risk that AI-driven automation will increase the wage gap between less-educated and more educated workers, potentially increasing economic inequality.
Am I already using AI?
If you are using the web or mobile apps, chances are that you are using AI. And if you’ve bought a product on Amazon, taken a ride in an Uber or booked a trip on Expedia then you’ve used some of the most advanced AI available today.
Remarkable progress has been made on what is known as Narrow AI, which addresses specific application areas such as playing strategic games, language translation, self-driving vehicles, and image recognition.
Narrow AI underpins many commercial services such as trip planning, shopper recommendation systems, and ad targeting, and is finding important applications in medical diagnosis, education, and scientific research.
The challenges of AI
AI is a powerful force and a reality for everybody. It improves our healthcare, shopping and travel experiences and is starting to make inroads into the workplace and government.
With that, comes a responsibility to make sure AI is a force for good, and that its tremendous power does not create a new chasm in our society.
Many areas of public policy, from education and the economic safety net, to defense, environmental preservation, and criminal justice, will see new opportunities and new challenges driven by the continued progress of AI.
Government must continue to build its capacity to understand and adapt to these changes.
As the technology of AI continues to develop, practitioners must ensure that AI-enabled systems are governable; that they are open, transparent, and understandable; that they can work effectively with people; and that their operation will remain consistent with human values and aspirations. Researchers and practitioners have increased their attention to these challenges, and should continue to focus on them.
Developing and studying machine intelligence can help us better understand and appreciate our human intelligence.
Used thoughtfully, AI can augment our intelligence, helping us chart a better and wiser path forward!
Our friends at the White House sum it up perfectly:
”AI can be a major driver of economic growth and social progress, if industry, civil society, government, and the public work together to support development of the technology, with thoughtful attention to its potential and to managing its risks.
Government has several roles to play. It should convene conversations about important issues and help to set the agenda for public debate. It should monitor the safety and fairness of applications as they develop, and adapt regulatory frameworks to encourage innovation while protecting the public.
It should support basic research and the application of AI to public goods, as well as the development of a skilled, diverse workforce. And government should use AI itself, to serve the public faster, more effectively, and at lower cost.”
Continue Reading:
Part 2 — How is Artificial Intelligence Impacting Business?
Part 3 — Some Specific tech Aspects of Artificial Intelligence.
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