Everything You Should Know About Artificial Intelligence

07 April 2021 | Annabel Hudson

When research into artificial intelligence (AI) properly began in the 1950s, it was described as any task which was performed by a machine that would have previously been considered to require human intelligence.

When research into artificial intelligence (AI) properly began in the 1950s, it was described as any task which was performed by a machine that would have previously been considered to require human intelligence. This definition is still accurate; however, it is viewed as fairly broad. Today, IBM provide a more specific definition and defines AI as be a system which “enables computers and machines to mimic the perception, learning, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities of the human mind”. Typically, AI systems demonstrate at least some of the following behaviours associated with human intelligence: problem solving, knowledge representation, reasoning, motion and manipulation.

Types of AI – weak AI vs. strong AI

Weak AI – also referred to as Narrow AI – is trained and focused to perform specific tasks. Weak AI drives most of the AI which we our surrounded with on a daily basis, including, Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. However, strong AI – also known as Artificial General Intelligence – is AI which more fully replicates the autonomy of the human brain. Strong AI has the potential to solve many types of problems, and even has the ability to decide upon which problems to solve without requiring human intervention.

Examples of AI Applications

Speech recognition is an AI technology which recognises spoken words and converts them into digitised text. Speech recognition is the system which drives computer dictation software, TV voice-controlled remotes and voice-enabled GPS, just to name a few.
Natural language processing (NLP) enables software applications, computers and machines to understand, interpret and generate human text. NLP is the AI system behind digital assistants (such as Siri and Alexa) and chat-bots. Some NLP have the capability to use sentiment analysis to detect mood, attitude, or other subjective qualities in language.
Ride-share services, such as Uber and Lyft make use of AI to pair passengers with drivers in order to minimise wait times and detours, provide reliable ETA’s, and even eliminate the need for share pricing during high-traffic periods.

AI in Industry

AI is becoming increasingly popular within the banking industry, with many firms adopting the technology to provide customer support, detect anomalies and credit card frauds. A great example of a bank who has done exactly this is HDFC Bank. HDFC Bank has developed an AI-based chatbot called EVA. Since its launch, EVA has addressed over 3 million customer queries and held over a million conversations.
The adoption of AI in a healthcare setting is being seen much more frequently than ever before. Not only can AI be used to detect diseases, such as cancer more accurately in early stages, but AI supported medical devices also allow for diseases to be much better monitored - encouraging an improved patient experience.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a huge part of our everyday lives and something you should definitely keep an eye on. Here at Pogo we have a wealth of experience regarding technology and would therefore be happy to answer any queries you may have regarding AI technology. Contact us today!