Artificial intelligence systems are complex programs that can mimic the activity of the human brain. AI can learn and improve its algorithms as it accumulates data and experiences.
The areas of application of artificial intelligence are extensive: they are medicine, industry, mechanical engineering, agriculture, education, everyday life, etc. However, in one case or another, working with technology will have specific features.
What is artificial intelligence?
The development of technological progress has led to the formation of artificial intelligence (AI), a set of programs capable of reproducing human skills such as planning, solving specific tasks, and informing, as well as learning and improving its functioning as the amount of work done accumulates. For example, programs in music services that recommend songs that suit your tastes work on the principle of artificial intelligence.
Humans use neurons in the brain to think, and AI’s thought process is based on the work of neural networks, which give systems the ability to develop new skills like a person.
What is the difference between AI and conventional human-made information processing algorithms? The main thing here is that they can learn and improve as they complete their tasks. In other words, the more intensively the technology is used, the better it “understands” the customer’s needs. In a normal system, nothing changes over time.
AI technologies are being implemented almost everywhere today. Automation of the functioning of any business, government agency, production or trade structure, logistics, educational or medical institution, and one person are all areas of application of artificial intelligence. The efficiency of AI applications is gradually growing due to the constant increase in memory capacity and the strengthening of the internal connections of the neural network.
In the early stages of AI’s development, it was widely assumed that it would only be capable of translating texts, recognizing objects, and determining the meaning of spoken words. But today, it becomes clear that its possibilities are almost limitless. Artificial intelligence enters various areas of life.
Application of artificial intelligence in medicine
The ability of artificial intelligence technologies to collect, analyze, and draw logical conclusions is especially important in this field of application. Thanks to this, AI can be used to make a diagnosis, record data, and perform the functions of a doctor’s assistant. In addition to these duties, AI can be entrusted with determining the patient’s predisposition to developing specific pathologies, predicting the course of chronic diseases, and detecting the disease early.
Such programs are already running on IBM’s Watson supercomputer and Google’s DeepMind Health, and FDNA’s Face2Gene application (the determination of genetically transmitted diseases by photography) is being developed. In the Russian Federation, work continues on a decision-support system using AI called “Third Opinion .”Cancer centers use the Botkin-Al program.
Today, AI services are used not only by doctors and their patients but also by quite healthy people who are used to monitoring their well-being. The market already has many testers, meters, pressure meters, and other parameters you can use yourself.
Some have a voice communication feature that allows you to ask patients about their symptoms and give a response either in the form of recommendations for any treatment or in the form of a referral to a specialist. Mobile versions of Ada and Your.MD can be downloaded from the Internet.
Systems involved in the creation of new drugs have a special role. Today, it takes about twelve years to develop, along with the launch of a modern drug, according to Pfizer’s top manager, Judy Sewards.
Thanks to AI, the time spent on building a molecular structure and modeling a drug is significantly reduced while improving quality. Atomwise and Berg Health specialists created the first supercomputers capable of solving this problem.
The use of artificial intelligence in education
The education sector has set tasks toward developing adaptive learning and proctoring. With the help of AI, it is planned to automate the selection of educational material and teaching methods suitable for a particular student to facilitate the process of mastering the material for all categories of students.
The purpose of proctoring is to control students during the exam. The robot’s task is to monitor what is happening and fix a variety of factors that the eye of the webcam does not “see” because modern students will outwit any technical device. Although it must be admitted, only some things can be entrusted to technology in education. The teacher’s personality, charisma, and ability to build relationships with students play an important role in teaching.
But even the average teacher is unlikely to be replaced by a machine. According to Rosa Lukin, a professor at University College London, it is necessary to look for a middle solution. The challenge is not to replace the teacher with a computer program but to improve the learning process. And this is only for a man.
Application of artificial intelligence in the industrial field
In this area of application of artificial intelligence systems, the ability to automate work processes is in demand. More often today, they automate the operations performed on the conveyor.
However, LG has already planned to open a factory where the entire organization will be entrusted to artificial intelligence: supply of consumables, control over the operation of machines, product quality, performance targets, warehouse operation, etc. It is clear that the number of workers there will be minimal.
The owners of large industrial enterprises in Japan, the People’s Republic of China, the United States, Germany, and Switzerland are investing huge sums in the re-equipment of plants and factories. Many professions, even those associated with intellectual work, are becoming obsolete in favor of an increase in the computer industry.
In the next few decades, the number of personnel employed by:
- On assembly equipment. The number of reduced jobs on conveyor belts is steadily growing. One assembly machine, after adjustments, can replace several workers.
- Accounting calculations In this area, a person cannot compete with a machine that accurately keeps accounts and calculates income and taxes, which is extremely useful for the state system. AI gradually increases its competence.
- Client consulting. Robots are already being used in situations where standard questions must be answered. Gradually, with the accumulation of experience, the communicative ability of the robot consultant increases.
Automation will soon affect many professions, including personal assistants, cashiers, truckers, and waiters. For example, AI has been successfully implemented in H&H’s line plant as a technology that tracks the direction of a worker’s gaze. This resulted in 400 fewer hours spent training new workers in one year, reducing the risk of accidents.
According to the MIT Technology Review agency, the author of new automated systems, Andrew Ng, is working on creating a new Landing. Al project. Now he is actively collaborating with Foxconn, the manufacturer of Apple devices.
Artificial intelligence in agriculture
Agriculture is also one of the main areas of application for artificial intelligence. Enterprises use AI to detect and remove weeds in the fields, identify crop diseases, recognize harmful insects, and economically distribute pesticides and fertilizers in the required quantities in the areas. In addition, the systems track changes in environmental parameters (air temperature, air humidity, etc.).
In the near future, it is planned to equip agriculture with the following devices:
- Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, that use GPS and radar to treat crops with chemicals and take aerial photographs
- Harvesting robots. Unlike combine harvesters, the robotic strawberry harvester was created not so long ago.
- Machines with AI for weed control The Hortibot device, created by Aarhus University (AarhusUniversitet) in Denmark, is to recognize and eliminate weeds using mechanical devices and spot treatment with an herbicidal composition. This robot is predicted to have a great future because its use significantly saves money and facilitates workers’ work. Soon we will also see robots that specialize in pests and plant diseases.
Analysts at Energias Market Research predict a 24.3 percent growth in the AI market in agriculture. The most active use of automation will be in the United States and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The main players here are Agworld, FarmLogs, CropX, Microsoft, AGCO, and others.
Application of AI in the field of traffic
Equipping the logistics industry with AI devices will significantly reduce the time spent processing a huge amount of data. The system can integrate all external devices, such as traffic lights, and track weather conditions, traffic density, and the number and location of accidents. Based on data analysis on the current situation, AI can regulate traffic in the city so that drivers go around traffic jams, repair sites, etc., in time.
An automatic system can help with calling a tow truck or an ambulance. According to statistics, almost all accidents (90%) are caused by the human factor, so it can be hoped that equipping roads with AI systems will reduce the number of road accident victims.
Automation is making its way into areas like driving. Many are already saying that we are waiting for a massive transition to autonomous cars that do not need a driver. Today, in some countries, it is already possible to use robotic parking lots, where the car is placed by a robot.
Application of AI in the domestic sphere
Many have already heard about the existence of “smart” homes. But so far, we are talking mainly about systems that regulate the on and off of lights and alarms. But the functionality of AI is expanding all the time.
Soon, you’ll be able to interact with the house as if it were a full-fledged family member. He will be able to prepare a suit in the morning, wake him up, place an order for food delivery, monitor the microclimate in the room, and remind him of the time for washing and cleaning. All this will allow you to worry less about household things and routine duties.
With the help of the “smart home” system, it becomes easier to control and save energy and consumables. The functional simultaneously performs the duties of a valet, laundress, cleaning lady, security guard, courier, housekeeper, and butler. And lonely people will have the opportunity to use the services of a device with the functions of a “friend” with whom they can communicate, watch TV programs, share problems, and tell the news. An example of such an AI device is the Qwerty AL robot.
The main developers of artificial intelligence systems
Both leaders in the information business, like Google and Amazon, and smaller market participants are exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
Even companies unknown to most, such as BotsCrew, which develops chatbots for Telegram and other services, achieve great success in AI development. And companies such as InData Labs and Nexocode create programs for performing analytical tasks, data processing, and statistical reports at the request of customer companies.
Here are a few major players in this field that will soon change our lives.
- Microsoft. Two years ago, in 2020, the company began building a new supercomputer in its Azure cloud storage. The work is carried out jointly with OpenAl. Its goal is to train algorithms and expand the functionality of AI by connecting relevant infrastructure components for use by other organizations and individual specialists. In addition, the company launched the Microsoft Designer program, designed for designers who create graphic images for social networks and other resources.
- Alphabet. The parent company’s operation of Google and YouTube is almost entirely based on AI. Automatic algorithms are used when calculating the cost of advertising, promoting content, and installing spam filters in Gmail. Alphabet’s subsidiaries are close behind: DeepMind produces AI programs, and Waymo produces autonomous vehicles. The merits of the second company include the launch in 2020 of a fully unmanned taxi service adapted to public roads.
- Amazon. AI is fully integrated into the company’s structure and is involved in creating targeted advertising, search engines, and Amazon Web Services. Today, Amazon Alexa is used by many American families. For AWS cloud customers, the company has a variety of AI-related services, such as advanced text analytics, automated code verification, and chatbots.
- Nvidia. The company produces powerful, high-speed chips that run the most complex AI applications. By the way, the operation of the Leonardo supercomputer, which is one of the fastest, is provided by Nvidia GPUs. Many large companies without supercomputers have equipment with built-in Nvidia chips and the Nvidia Quantum InfiniBand program.
- Intuitive Surgical The company’s da Vinci Surgical System uses advanced surgical automation and imaging technology to perform simple invasive procedures. Today, the company’s specialists are working on programs that can process even more specialized information to become full-fledged assistants during surgical operations.
- IBM. Despite extensive experience in the creation of computer systems, research work continues in the field of AI development. IBM is a leading AI technology company, and customers use its AutoML and AutoAl products to build and train AI models.
The areas of application of artificial intelligence in society are becoming wider and more diverse, but this does not give reason to think that machines will completely replace humans. Yes, and it is hardly necessary to strive for this. The operation of any system, even a very “smart and quick-witted” one, must be controlled and directed by a person. The possibilities of AI should be used to facilitate routine work and to replace people in workplaces with difficult conditions. What will happen in the coming decades?
In addition, the machine cannot be “brought” to account for a mistake, even if it leads to tragic consequences. For example, an uncrewed vehicle might hit a person, or during an operation performed by a robotic surgeon, the patient might die on the table. Whom to ask in this case…
