Science fiction has the power to let the human mind imagine the unimaginable. This has been showcased in the sci-fi movies of yesteryear, which depicted robots doing work for humans, and humans controlling robots as per their whims and fancies. Ever wondered what technology all this wonderful imagination is based on? Artificial Intelligence or AI. AI is now an everyday term, but once enjoyed an exalted status thanks to these very sci-fi movies. Today AI has come a long way and is part and parcel of our lives, whether it is weather predictions, or email management, or voice-enabled devices. The base for these complex tasks are machine learning algorithms that make the machine intelligence come to life. But this was not always the case. Let’s look back in time and see how AI reached the practical pedestal it stands on today.
A concept rooted in history
The first practical application of such “machine intelligence†was introduced by Alan Turing, the British mathematician who conceptualized machines that could “think†way back in 1950s. The Turing Test is used to determine a machine’s capability to think like a human being. The seeds of AI were set, and were watered by Marvin Minsky, who set up an AI lab in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1959. His tech mindset allowed him to provide radical ideas to Stanley Kubrick, who made the the iconic sci-fi fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL 9000 from the novel was the ultimate AI representation of those times. This AI-led excitement was then carried on to the 1980s, with the invention of the computer. Thereafter, technology corporations have been doing exploratory research, trying to bring the technology closer to the consumer, both by way of application and affordability.
AI of Today
Considering AI goes so far back in time, one may wonder why it is still called an “emerging technologyâ€. In reality, AI is everywhere, influencing most of our decisions. Our smartphone-led personal assistant is using machine intelligence to recommend the best traffic route to us. Netflix is coming up with relevant matches and recommendation for what to watch, based on our preferences and liking. Not just personal use, AI is even transforming the way we work. Enterprise workforce applications are being remodelled basis machine learning. Brands are being advertised based on continuous learning data inputs that machines (computers) receive from various data channels.
AI of Tomorrow
This is just the beginning. The future of AI is envisioned like a robot-driven industry and economy. Many manufacturers are exploring with prototypes of self-driven cars, which would change the very fundamentals of public and private commuting. AI has huge potential in security detection and management, by looking out for anomalous patterns in data. The chatbot is an AI application that is increasingly replacing human customer service agents, by way of robot- enabled conversations, creating all-round customer engagement. Some of the really hi-tech agendas where AI shows promise are space exploration and molecular genoming in the healthcare space. The time is not far when man and machine will work side by side, often interacting the way normal humans do.
Conclusion
Every new technology presents challenges in its widespread adoption. While the above pointers show the bright side of AI, there is the flip side too, which needs to be managed. This is the increased security risk due to data dependence. Also, some experts opine that AI will make human jobs redundant, causing social unrest. It is the responsibility of AI proponents to balance the good and the bad, to make the AI revolution a positive change.