The Future of Mankind with A.I. and Machine Learning

What is Machine Learning?

Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. Machine learning focuses on the development of computer programs that can access data and use it to learn for themselves.

The process of learning begins with observations or data, such as examples, direct experience, or instruction, in order to look for patterns in data and make better decisions in the future based on the examples that we provide. The primary aim is to allow the computers to learn automatically without human intervention or assistance and adjust actions accordingly.

What you need to know about Artificial Intelligence?

It depends on whom you ask.

Back in the 1950s, the fathers of the field Minsky and McCarthy described artificial intelligence as any task performed by a program or a machine that, if a human carried out the same activity, we would say the human had to apply intelligence to accomplish the task.

That obviously is a fairly broad definition, which is why you will sometimes see arguments over whether something is truly AI or not.

AI systems will typically demonstrate at least some of the following behaviors associated with human intelligence: planning, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, knowledge representation, perception, motion, and manipulation and, to a lesser extent, social intelligence and creativity.

These are some of the best examples of How companies use AI and Machine Learning in practice:

• Alphabet – Google

Alphabet is Google’s parent company. Waymo, the company’s self-driving technology division, began as a project at Google. Today, Waymo wants to bring self-driving technology to the world not only to move people around but to reduce the number of crashes. Its autonomous vehicles are currently shuttling riders around California in self-driving taxis. Right now, the company can’t charge fare and a human driver still sits behind the wheel during the pilot program. Google signaled its commitment to deep learning when it acquired DeepMind. Not only did the system learn how to play 49 different Atari games, but the AlphaGo program was also the first to beat a professional player at the game of Go. Another AI innovation from Google is Google Duplex. Using natural language processing, an AI voice interface can make phone calls and schedule appointments on your behalf. Learn even more about how Google is incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning into operations.

• Apple

Apple, one of the world’s largest technology companies, selling consumer electronics such as iPhones and Apple Watches, as well as computer software and online services. Apple uses artificial intelligence and machine learning in products like the iPhone, where it enables the FaceID feature, or in products like the AirPods, Apple Watch, or HomePod smart speakers, where it enables the smart assistant Siri. Apple is also growing its service offering and is using AI to recommend songs on Apple Music, help you find your photo in the iCloud, or navigate to your next meeting using Maps.

• Microsoft

Artificial intelligence is a term that appears on Microsoft's vision statement, which illustrates the company’s focus on having smart machines central to everything they do. They are incorporating intelligent capabilities to all its products and services, including Cortana, Skype, Bing, and Office 365, and are one of the world's biggest AI as a Service (AIaaS) vendors.

• Tencent

Chinese social media company Tencent has incorporated artificial intelligence into its operations in its quest to become "the most respected internet enterprise," Tencent relies on artificial intelligence. It has 1 billion users on its app WeChat but has extended its reach to gaming, digital assistants, mobile payments, cloud storage, live streaming, sports, education, movies, and even self-driving cars. One of the company's slogans is "AI in all." Tencent acquires huge amounts of information and insights about its customers that it processes and leverages the company’s advantage.

Working together with AI

Artificial intelligence is not here to replace us. It augments our abilities and makes us better at what we do. Because AI algorithms learn differently than humans, they look at things differently. They can see relationships and patterns that escape us. This human, AI partnership offers many opportunities. It can:

• Bring analytics to industries and domains where it’s currently underutilized.
• Improve the performance of existing analytic technologies, like computer vision and time series analysis.
• Break down economic barriers, including language and translation barriers.
• Augment existing abilities and make us better at what we do.
• Give us a better vision, better understanding, better memory, and much more. 

What are the challenges of using artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is going to change every industry, but we have to understand its limits.

The principal limitation of AI is that it learns from the data. There is no other way in which knowledge can be incorporated. That means any inaccuracies in the data will be reflected in the results. And any additional layers of prediction or analysis have to be added separately.

Today’s AI systems are trained to do a clearly defined task. The system that plays poker cannot play solitaire or chess. The system that detects fraud cannot drive a car or give you legal advice. In fact, an AI system that detects health care fraud cannot accurately detect tax fraud or warranty claims fraud.

In other words, these systems are very, very specialized. They are focused on a single task and are far from behaving like humans.

Likewise, self-learning systems are not autonomous systems. The imagined AI technologies that you see in movies and TV are still science fiction. But computers that can probe complex data to learn and perfect specific tasks are becoming quite common.