- The broad use of and the rapid sophisticated evolution
of artificial intelligence may be a defining characteristic
of the fourth industrial revolution.
While it's been in development since the 1950s,
it's finally here as a viable, mainstream capability.
Artificial intelligence is equally
one of the most misunderstood and underestimated
technologies of our time.
For many, it erroneously conjures up images of HAL 9000
in 2001: A Space Odyssey or C-3PO in the Star Wars saga.
In addition, artificial intelligence, or AI,
as it's commonly known, is an umbrella term
for several types of technology.
I'll briefly explore the nature of AI,
but I encourage you to learn more
by checking out courses on our library.
How might we define AI today?
I like the definition, "The capability of a machine
to imitate intelligent human behavior."
Most other definitions are a variation of this.
The idea that human activities can be simulated
by a machine is at the core of AI research and development.
This conclusion does not automatically infer
that the achievement of machine consciousness,
or emotion, is a necessary goal.
We'll leave that to one side for now,
and defer to future philosophers, ethicists,
politicians, and innovators to handle.
A better conceptualization of a near-term AI goal
is that a computer can use visual analysis to know
and describe what objects are in a digital photograph.
Sounds simple enough, but it's remarkably difficult
to achieve, but we're getting there.
Visual and audio interpretation has achieved
stunning results in just the last few years.
Of course, our expectations continue to grow quckly.
These examples help to place current AI in the context
of a continuum of future possibilities.
AI's recent rise after decades of effort is a direct result
of the third industrial revolution
and opening years of the fourth.
They are the artifacts and attendant behaviors
of our digital transformation.
For good measure, throw in some math,
and science breakthroughs, and a little good luck.
Investments by IBM created a machine capable
of beating a human at chess, and similar computing moonshots
helped to bring about AI innovation too.
A deep exploration of how current AI works
will be way beyond the scope of this video.
However, let me share some basic concepts.
AI is largely the product of a set of instructions,
called an algorithm, that describes a process
to execute under certain circumstances.
You could think of it like this, if this, then that.
If it's raining, then the sprinkler should not function.
There is a condition and an action.
An essential component of making AI work,
is that not every conceivable circumstance
should need to be predetermined.
It is valuable if the computer could see patterns
and repetitious, slightly varying outcomes.
One popular way this is achieved is through a subset of AI,
called machine learning, or ML.
If an AI program needs to identify a bicycle in the picture,
it would of course be impossible to show the computer
every single variation of a bicycle.
However, if the AI software sees a pattern
from being fed lots of data where something with two circles
in close proximity is likely to be a bicycle,
then it has a better chance of identifying bicycles
in the future.
The more data, the better the ML.
With a category of ML called deep learning,
we get capabilities such as image,
speech, and face recognition.
As you'd imagine, the research
and application of AI is wide and complex.
Major areas of development include problem-solving,
perception, planning, and the management of robotics.
In addition to the rapid expansion
of AI knowledge and breakthroughs,
its accessibility is much greater than before.
The relative ease to access and use solutions
from major players such as IBM, Google, Amazon, Microsoft,
and a large number of start-ups are making it much simpler
for organizations to embed AI
into their products and services.
One category of the application of AI, chatbots,
provides an interface between a human and a computer.
This can simulate a basic conversation, such that
service providers can lower the cost of customer service.
These chatbots are becoming more valuable with advances
in both machine learning and natural language recognition.
AI brings a lot of value to a wide range
of areas for humanity, but it's likely
to create some significant challenges too.
Advanced AI-powered robots and machines
will likely perform human tasks faster,
cheaper, and with better outcomes.
No doubt this will change the nature of human work.