Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to be a “defining future technology”, but what exactly is AI and how does it already affect our lives?.
AI is
the ability of a machine to display human-like capabilities such as reasoning,
learning, planning and creativity.
AI
enables technical systems to perceive their environment, deal with what they
perceive, solve problems and act to achieve a specific goal. The computer
receives data – already prepared or gathered through its own sensors such as a
camera – processes it and responds.
AI
systems are capable of adapting their behavior to a certain degree by analyzing
the effects of previous actions and working autonomously.
Why is
AI important?
Some AI
technologies have been around for more than 50 years, but advances in computing
power, the availability of enormous quantities of data and new algorithms have
led to major AI breakthroughs in recent years.
Artificial
intelligence is seen as central to the digital transformation of society and it
has become an EU priority.
Future
applications are expected to bring about enormous changes, but AI is already
present in our everyday lives.
Types of
AI
Software: virtual assistants, image
analysis software, search engines, speech and face recognition systems
“Embodied” AI: robots, autonomous cars,
drones, Internet of Things
AI in
everyday life
Below
are some AI applications that you may not realize are AI-powered:
Online
shopping and advertising
Artificial
intelligence is widely used to provide personalized recommendations to people,
based for example on their previous searches and purchases or other online behavior.
AI is hugely important in commerce: optimizing products, planning inventory,
logistics etc.
Web
search
Search
engines learn from the vast input of data, provided by their users to provide
relevant search results.
Digital
personal assistants
Smartphones
use AI to provide services that are as relevant and personalized as possible.
Virtual assistants answering questions, providing recommendations and helping organize
daily routines have become ubiquitous.
Machine
translations
Language
translation software, either based on written or spoken text, relies on
artificial intelligence to provide and improve translations. This also applies
to functions such as automated subtitling.
Smart
homes, cities and infrastructure
Smart
thermostats learn from our behavior to save energy, while developers of smart
cities hope to regulate traffic to improve connectivity and reduce traffic
jams.
Cars
While
self-driving vehicles are not yet standard, cars already use AI-powered safety
functions. The EU has for example helped to fund VI-DAS, automated sensors that
detect possible dangerous situations and accidents.
Navigation
is largely AI-powered.
Cybersecurity
AI
systems can help recognize and fight cyberattacks and other cyber threats based
on the continuous input of data, recognizing patterns and backtracking the
attacks.
Artificial
intelligence against Covid-19
In the
case of Covid-19, AI has been used in thermal imaging in airports and
elsewhere. In medicine it can help recognize infection from computerized
tomography lung scans. It has also been used to provide data to track the
spread of the disease.
Fighting
disinformation
Certain
AI applications can detect fake news and disinformation by mining social media
information, looking for words that are sensational or alarming and identifying
which online sources are deemed authoritative.
Other
examples of artificial intelligence use
AI is
set to transform practically all aspects of life and the economy. Here are just
a few examples:
Health
Researchers
are studying how to use AI to analyze large quantities of health data and
discover patterns that could lead to new discoveries in medicine and ways to
improve individual diagnostics.
For
example, researchers developed an AI program for answering emergency calls that
promises to recognize a cardiac arrest during the call faster and more
frequently than medical dispatchers. In another example, EU co-funded KConnect
is developing multi-lingual text and search services that help people find the
most relevant medical information available.
Transport
AI could
improve the safety, speed and efficiency of rail traffic by minimizing wheel
friction, maximizing speed and enabling autonomous driving.
Manufacturing
AI can
help European manufacturers become more efficient and bring factories back to
Europe by using robots in manufacturing, optimizing sales paths, or by on-time
predicting of maintenance and breakdowns in smart factories.
SatisFactory,
an EU co-funded research project, uses collaborative and augmented-reality
systems to increase work satisfaction in smart factories.
Food and
farming
AI can
be used in creating a sustainable EU
food system: it can ensure healthier food by minimizing the use of fertilizers,
pesticides and irrigation; help productivity and reduce the environmental
impact. Robots could remove weeds, lowering the use of herbicides, for example.
Many
farms across the EU already use AI to monitor the movement, temperature and
feed consumption of their animals.
Public
administration and services
Using a
wide range of data and pattern recognition, AI could provide early warnings of
natural disasters and allow for efficient preparation and mitigation of
consequences.
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/09/09/what-is-artificial-intelligence-and-how-is-it-used/