Artificial Intelligence Tetrad

by Mike Delich and Jack Fiedler

The History and Core Components of AI

Artificial intelligence, although it sounds very daunting to grasp the concept of, has been around for hundreds of years. Although there were rumors of the invention of artificial intelligence prior, the first and most well known artificial intelligence machine was invented in the 15th century. According to the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), Gutenberg’s invention of the first printing press was the first major breakthrough that transpired in 1456. This was shortly followed in the latter part of the 15th century by the invention of the clock, which is known as the first modern measuring machine (AITopics.org 2020). When many people think of these inventions they do not think of them as artificial intelligence, however by definition of AI, that is what each of these machines represents.

The term artificial intelligence was first coined by John McCarthy while attending an infamous conference at Dartmouth College, he defined it as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines”. This broad definition fell upon deaf ears at the convention, as the field would not gain traction until years later, however, this event is monumental in the field as it catalyzed the next fifty-plus years of AI research (Jaeger 2020). By definition, AI represents the most simple intelligent machines, including printing presses, and watches. However, the sophistication of AI today is what makes the field so remarkable, and causes the disconnect between AI of the 15th century and AI of today. The following graph depicts some of the major advancements in AI computing and research since McCarthy first coined the term Artificial

Intelligence:

Figure 1 (Image from digitalwellbeing.org)

These milestones above are some of the more well-known inventions of AI. Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and the Roomba are still used in many households to this day. It is important to note that behind the scenes much more than specific AI machines were being created, however, these are the notable ones of which the majority can be tested using Alan Turing’s test.

As depicted by the graph above, many AI advancements are evaluated and tested based on the Turing test. The goal of the Turing test is to compare machine intelligence directly to human intelligence. The machine is able to pass the test if it can trick a human into believing that they are interacting with another human, instead of the machine (Quan-Haase, 2016, 279). As can be seen above, there are claims that Eugene Goostman, an AI chatbot, passed the Turing test in 2014. However, this claim has been ridiculed by others in the field of AI as only one-third of the judges believed that Eugene was actually human. Whether or not an AI machine has fully passed the Turing test is up for debate, but being able to trick humans into believing that robots are human is only a measuring point for the sophistication of AI.

There are many goals in the field of AI outside of being able to trick humans. The modern developments in AI have helped humans improve efficiency and create utility for all of society. Examples of AI that are currently being used today include self-driving cars and autopilot for airlines that make both driving and flying safer. Modern developments also include items that nearly all technology users take advantage of on a daily basis. An example of this is our Email. Email spam folders will filter out unwanted emails, such as advertisements, scams, and phishing. This simple yet useful development in AI has allowed users to not be bombarded with unwanted emails. The future in Email technology also looks bright. Google has already and is improving upon smart reply technology, which will “suggest three different brief (but customized) responses to answer the email” (Fraggella 2020). Although the responses currently being used are rather simple, as the technology improves it may be as easy as clicking a customized automated response to send a detailed reply.

Diffusion of AI

As a whole, it is very easy to see the trends in the diffusion of AI technology. As technology continues to become less expensive, and more widely available, AI has been spread everywhere into our lives. AI is now on our phones, in our homes, in our cars, and even in our bodies. AI technology comes in many forms and is used through many mediums. As can be seen in figure 1 Siri is one of the most popular forms of AI technology. It has reached hundreds of millions of users worldwide and is as well known as the Apple Brand itself. Siri was implemented into all Apple devices beginning in 2011. This includes iPhones, Ipads, Ipods, and Apple Watches. The following graph depicts the diffusion of Apple Technology:

Figure 2 (Image from www.asymco.com)

As can be seen, the diffusion of Apple technology and Siri has grown exponentially since 2005. With over 1.5 billion iPhones sold and over 2 billion total devices sold. Each of these devices sold after 2011 have the AI technology of Siri built into it. The reach of this product is impressive and looks to still be growing at an exponential rate. That being said, the scope of Siri’s impact on society is likely even greater than its reach. Siri gives users access to one of the most powerful AI technologies ever invented. According to the Apple website themself, Siri gives users the ability to set alarms, get directions, preview calendars all without touching your phone. It even has the capability to connect to your house, setting the temperature, turning on or off lights, and even opening/closing your garage door. What makes this even more impressive is that, according to Apple, “Machine learning is constantly making Siri smarter. And you can personalize Siri to make it even more useful.” (Apple.com/Siri).

Businesses are using AI to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. AI has a unique ability to not only capture Big Data but to be able to use it and make something useful out of it. Companies have been able to record data for years but it’s taken countless hours of manual programming to decode the data into information that is useful. AI can decode the data and draw conclusions like between purchases and demographics that would’ve taken years to discover manually (Burgess 2018). This new information is helping businesses market to their customers better and gives them an idea of which products to market to which people. The automated learning used within companies is propelling e-commerce.

Societal Effects

AI isn’t really new anymore but it continues to improve which makes it seem newer and newer as time goes on. We saw it with Siri in 2011 and then in 2017 Apple introduced facial recognition. How does this self-improving affect our society? AI enhances life for people in many areas including entertainment, accessibility to technology, and health care. It’s replacing people who would otherwise have to manually look for conclusions out of data sets and develop usable information. It retrieves a life of simplicity by allowing information to come instead of seeking it out. There are limitations to AI including its ability to be human-like and its effect on the world’s economy in developed countries with trickle effects on underdeveloped countries. The societal impact of AI is highlighted using a tetrad process and is used to break down the areas where society is being affected by AI the most.

More automation stirs the fear of unemployment. There is concern that AI will develop to become human-like robots that will take over the jobs of entry-level employees and beyond. Some entry-level jobs can be performed far more efficiently by AI than humans. Businesses see dollars saved and will choose that route. There is an increasing number of job descriptions that list AI skills in the requirements. Indeed.com, an online job listing site tracked the data.

Figure 3 (Image from Indeed.com)

Burhan’s article, Social, economic, and ethical consequences of AI Unpublished, highlights a study conducted by a Morgan Stanley team found that 47% perfect of total US employment is at risk of being replaced by AI in the next 2 decades (Burhan 2018). This number is scary to digest while thinking about the countless people that could be without food or shelter as a result of AI. This raises the question, what can we do to prevent this? One possibility is to ask the government to protect employees by implementing taxes on companies that introduce a technology-heavy approach to business. Another fix is to educate and train employees on how to do different jobs that will be in higher demand as a result of AI. The fear of job obsolescence occurred during the industrial revolution as more machines were being used. People combatted it by learning different skills and unemployment did not decrease as much as expected.

Other areas where AI has affected society include the talking typewriter, universal game players, and health care. AI has allowed more access to technology and data such as the ability to speak words and the computer will type them. This works by a microphone hearing words that someone says, translates them, and then types them into a document, messaging system, etc. This technology allows people who are disabled a way to text, email, and interact via technology that has not been available previously. Those who type all day can also develop health problems such as carpal tunnel and vision loss. The talking typewriter is changing the way society interacts with technology and the number of people who can interact using technology.

Universal game players could be argued as a cure for boredom. Early versions of these game players used heuristics which are shortcuts that are manually programmed to play a game. Ethan Fast and Eric Horvitz said, “each game was individually programmed using heuristics deduced from careful human introspection and representations painfully derived to allow effective utilization of those heuristics.” (Fast and Horvitz 2016). The first game players would play chess, checkers, dominos, or card games. Modern-day game players have developed into self-learning machines that can develop relationships, fight, and have feelings based on treatment. These types of game players are present in video games and online realities. Kids and Adults reap the benefits of always having someone to “play” with. The game possibilities are endless and the outcomes are just as unpredictable as playing a real person. AI helps people live healthier lives with tracking monitors, online appointments, etc.

AI has revolutionized healthcare and continues to improve people’s wellbeing. In the simplest ways, wearable technology allows for health recommendations based on the reading of a heart rate. Smartwatches like Fitbits and Apple watches can track a heart rate during a workout, sleep, and everyday activities to make suggestions such as bedtime, more exercise, and medical emergencies. These devices can connect to applications that track food consumption and prescription medicine intake. The more information someone is willing to give a machine, the more the machine can give them like refilling a prescription or reminding them to eat. People can live healthier lives easier than ever before with more information people given to them at their fingertips. More complex versions of AI have been developed to perform surgeries, make a diagnosis, and recommend treatment. The future of advancing AI in health care is dependent upon new technologies’ ability to pass the Turing test: which was developed by Alan Turing to determine if AI was capable of acting like a human. The Turing test is being adapted, in healthcare, by changing the criteria of its ability to act like a human to the device’s precision and accuracy (Ashrifian and Athanasiou 2015). The health and wellness of a patient is the top priority so an adapted Turing test determines AI’s future in the healthcare industry.

Forecasted Effects

After analyzing some of the effects AI is having on society, it must be aware and understand how to use those effects to its advantage. The industrial revolution brought about fear regarding the job market because of system automation. The workforce adapted by learning new skills and developing new ones that were required as a result of machines. Society needs to take note of that response and follow the precedent. It’s no secret that AI is taking over some repetitive jobs. Those affected can respond by making themselves valuable in a different way. The question that our workforce needs to ask themselves is “What areas can I focus on that make me an asset?” Our workforce needs to be prepared for AI to take over some jobs but recognize that many companies understand the value of people and strong communication skills are an essential skill.

AI is also allowing people to simplify their lives. The automated typewriter, universal game players, and advanced healthcare have changed the way we go about our lives. We need to understand that we have the capacity to do more and do it more efficiently. Wearable health technologies and AI-powered apps are allowing people to focus on their lives rather than their health. They will be reminded when to do things but in the meantime, they can play with their kids, go to work, and not worry about their health; AI has them covered. Today’s society is capable of doing more because AI is doing more for them. The automated typewriter is allowing society to do more by making communication easier and more accessible. One can walk on the sidewalk as they are talk-typing a text to a family member all while getting lunch. The capability AI is giving society to do more is remarkable. Universal game players are allowing people to play games all by themselves. This is exciting and worrisome due to the addictive nature of modern electronic games. It is fascinating that one can play a video game that mimics real-life or can play cards with a computer. What if people stop playing real-life games and stop playing cards with friends. Society is slowly distancing themselves from one another by finding someone or something (an AI robot) that they can interact with. Our society needs to recognize the potential of AI’s capabilities in our future, recognize how we can benefit today, and be aware of its risks and potential issues.

AI as a field of study, and technology field has made massive strides in the capabilities of its technologies since it was first introduced by McCarthy. Many leaders in the field today think that the possibilities of AI technology are endless. When asked about the future possibilities of AI technology, Professor and director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy stated, “I think it is more likely than not that we will use this power to make the world a better place. For instance, we can virtually eliminate global poverty, massively reduce disease, and provide better education to almost everyone on the planet.” (Anderson 2020) AI technology has the power to solve some of the most pressing issues facing humanity today. Although this sounds like a quote from a star wars movie, it is the job of humans to harness this power for the betterment of the world.

References

AITopics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aitopics.org/misc/brief-history

Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2020, May 30). Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humans. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/12/10/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-humans/

Ashrafian, H., Darzi, A., & Athanasiou, T. (2015). A novel modification of the turing test for artificial intelligence and robotics in healthcare. The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, 11(1), 38–43. doi:10.1002/rcs.1570

Burhan Rashid Hussein. (2018). Social, economic, and ethical consequences of AI Unpublished. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.32703.61608

Burgess, A. (2018). The executive guide to artificial intelligence how to identify and implement applications for AI in your organization (1st ed.). Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978–3–319–63820–1

Faggella, D. (2020, April 11). Everyday Examples of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Retrieved from https://emerj.com/ai-sector-overviews/everyday-examples-of-ai/

Fast, E., & Horvitz, E. (2016). Long-term trends in the public perception of artificial intelligence Retrieved from https://www.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=od________18::62ee9587d645e7ed0c6ab9ae9a5a4632

Scott, J., Jaeger, E., E., A., Gabby, Mariia, Joana, … Prasad, R. (2020, April 23). The History of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/history-artificial-intelligence/

Siri. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/siri/