Undoubtedly every one of us has now been in contact with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Whether it is with shopping products online and seeing ‘suggested for you’ products, or ads popping up on your Facebook feed, or at the bank while we are depositing a check in an ATM machine. Most of the industries have adopted AI in some capacity to optimize and automate their processes, the domain of these industries may vary from industries ranging from health to fitness to media to dating apps to finance. Although AI has been popular in the academic world since the 1990s, it is only coming to mainstream the utilization in recent years.
So, what is the power of AI and what is the reason for it becoming popular?
Artificial Intelligence is something that is known as a forward model in computer science, meaning it is a computer model that makes the decisions that are based on the input into the model, such as the data that is in the form of numbers, pictures, and really anything that is mathematically measurable. Hence, this ultimate model is able of modifying its prediction based on the dynamic flow of input. So, the longer that the model receives input, the ‘smarter’ it becomes, further; the better guesses it can make about forthcoming behavior.
However, this future is far different from the backward model. The backward model is also known as the non-AI predictive computer algorithms. In this case, in a backward model, a prediction is made on a past data set and on the basis of the unique parameters that are usually chosen at the time of the model building. Thus, it doesn’t have the capacity to modify predictions or guesses; despite how many times the backward model is fed data; it will always revert with the same answer for the same data point. Hence, is a crucial difference to the forward model, where the answer changes with more data that is fed into the model.
However, the reason why Artificial Intelligence is being principally used now than ever before. It goes twofold-
1) The science and the advancement behind algorithm development;
2) With the abundance of data generated makes it a perfect time to use this model.
One of the crucial principles of algorithm design for AI is that there should be enough ‘training’ data on which the model is trained before it becomes able for making meaningful predictions. Thus, this number ranges from 10,000 data points and higher. The abundance of data has never existed in the same capacity as it is now. With the prevalence of high-speed computing, this is the perfect time for utilizing this model.
Now, as we have understood what Artificial Intelligence is and the reason why it is being utilized now; let us analyze what AI can and can not do. AI is smart enough and can replicate and automate decisions that are based on certain parameters that are later fed into the program, but no matter what AI can never be creative. AI is just an idea that can only help in quickly and efficiently match and sort data. Moreover, it is also unable of making creative decisions about things, ideas or places. Despite, it does not have imagination and it is just a sorting algorithm with some of the most advanced functional optimization and regression techniques.
The humankind, on the other hand, is rapidly creative and ingenious. The humans can think of multiple stories and can imagine things which we later bring to life. So, even in the age of Artificial Intelligence; human creativity and community would have more premium than ever before.