What is AI and How Does it Impact Our Lives?
By Sana Shehabi (AI Student Collective @ UC Davis)
AI has greatly evolved in recent years due to a massive increase in the amount of data available and the benefits that AI brings to companies. Over the past several decades, we’ve seen technological advancements, economic development, and rapid growth of companies. These changes have caused a substantial increase in the amount of circulating data we have. Artificial intelligence (AI) has greatly evolved due to these large amounts of data. AI plays a huge role in our world today, but in 2017, when 1,500 senior executives were asked about their familiarity with AI, only 17% (250 respondents) were familiar with both the concept and its application for their companies [1]. Many people were not familiar with AI half a decade ago, but now people are much more familiar with the term, as it has entered the cultural zeitgeist. Despite this, many conceptually misunderstand how AI works and functions.
So what exactly is AI? Father of AI, John McCarthy, defines AI as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.” [2] It is a computer program that performs tasks by simulating human intelligence. It does this by using advanced algorithms that allow software to format and process data. You may be familiar with Siri, a virtual assistant in Apple products. Siri uses AI to perform tasks such as answering questions, finding information, and performing actions for the user. Siri uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand requests from the user and respond in a human-like manner. It uses machine learning (ML) models and algorithms to analyze data. For example, if you ask Siri for information about the weather forecast, Siri will use ML to collect and analyze data from various weather sources and provide you with relevant and accurate information about the weather. [3] ML refers to the specific algorithms/technologies that computers use to make decisions, whereas AI is used to allow computers to think like a human. AI allows technology to become extremely advanced. Let’s take a closer look at its benefits and the role it plays in our world.
AI has completely transformed the workplace by increasing the productivity of companies. Technology is now able to perform repetitive tasks quickly and with minimal errors. An example of this can be seen by chatbots, like ChatGPT. Chatbots interact with customers to provide immediate customer support (questions, complaints, etc), and this is a very important feature for companies that have daily interactions with their customers. The time needed to assist the customer is dramatically reduced with the chatbots. AI machines can help with other administrative tasks, such as maintaining records, pre-authorizing insurance, and more. [4] This increases efficiency by eliminating the need for humans to do this work by hand. AI has also resulted in smarter and faster decision making by processing data in a way that develops accurate probabilistic outcomes. Workers can use this saved time to complete more complex and creative tasks for the company.
The emergence of AI has also allowed for immense progression in the medical field. Various ML models use elements of mathematics, statistics, and computer science in order to navigate medical data. AI can be used to detect diseases, provide treatment options, and consolidate medical data in a way that is easy for clinicians to find. Research has shown that AI is just as effective and accurate as human radiologists in detecting signs of breast cancer and other health conditions. [5] It also reduces healthcare costs, minimizes medical errors, and provides after hours services to patients.
While it is clear that AI plays a very beneficial role in the way we live and work, many people have expressed concerns with some of the potential drawbacks that the technology has. Firstly, it is extremely expensive — creating the machine itself requires a lot of time and money, and the software requires high costs as well in order to stay updated. That being said, this expense is understandable considering this technology is able to simulate human intelligence. Many people bring up the issue of unemployment and how technology will eventually “take all of our jobs.” Even though AI software is able to complete tasks done by humans, these only include basic, automated tasks. When Excel first came out, a lot of people thought the software would take away accountants’ jobs and were worried about job security, but Excel allowed accountants and other workers to streamline their work processes and accomplish tasks faster without taking away their jobs.
Although AI can perform some human tasks and may replace some jobs, humans have several skills that make them necessary in the workplace. There is a limit to what AI software can do, for multiple reasons: 1) AI does not have emotional intelligence. An emotional connection is very important in the workplace, especially when interacting with customers. 2) AI has limited creativity. It cannot think of new ideas or use its imagination. 3) AI doesn’t change with new experiences. The human brain has the power to improvise and invent, while AI does not. [6]
As humans we interact with AI technology on a daily basis without even realizing it. There is still a lot of research yet to be done on how to maximize AI benefits, but it is extremely prevalent in our world today and has the potential to continue growing in the future.
Footnotes:
[1] Davenport, T. H., Jeff Loucks, & David Schatsky. (2017). Deloitte State of Cognitive Survey. Bullish on the business value of cognitive. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/deloitte-analytics/us-da-2017-deloitte-state-of-cognitive-survey.pdf
[2] John McCarthy (1927–2011): Artificial Intelligence (complete) — Thinking Allowed -Jeffrey Mishlove. (2011). YouTube. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozipf13jRr4.
[3] Goddard, W. (2020, November 26). Is Siri Ai? ITChronicles. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://itchronicles.com/artificial-intelligence/is-siri-ai/
[4] Zielinski, D. (2019, August 16). AI for administrative tasks can make life easier at work. SHRM. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/ai-for-administrative-tasks-can-make-life-easier-at-work.aspx
[5] Lång, K., Gubern-Merida, A., Broeders, M., Gennaro, G., Clauser, P., Helbich, T. H., Chevalier, M., Tan, T., Mertelmeier, T., Wallis, M. G., Andersson, I., Zackrisson, S., Mann, R. M., & Sechopoulos, I. (2019, September 1). Stand-alone artificial intelligence for breast cancer detection in mammography: Comparison with 101 radiologists. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6748773/
[6] Oluwaniyi, R. (2022, September 21). 6 reasons why artificial intelligence can’t replace humans at work. MUO. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.makeuseof.com/reasons-artificial-intelligence-cant-replace-humans/#:~:text=Regardless%20of%20how%20well%20AI,is%20vital%20for%20business%20growth
