I am sure you have heard the AI talk everywhere. It’s the buzz of the town, and they say that AI is here for you or it’s gonna take your job away. But, what is AI really?
In this article, I will cover everything and explain it in very simple terms.
How do you explain AI to a beginner?
If you have been overwhelmed by all the conversations around artificial intelligence (hello, ChatGPT!) and feel left out, this article will be your friend and explain AI in very simple words.
I usually explain AI by drawing parallels with humans.
How do humans learn?
We start with the basics – the alphabet then learn words and then learn to arrange words into meaningful sentences. AI is the technology that enables machines to learn, improve their functioning and become able in performing tasks as humans can. The tasks include problem-solving, decision-making, and learning from mistakes.
Behind these jaw-dropping abilities is a lot of mathematics. As we know, computers cannot comprehend anything except numbers. So we try to turn everything into a number (vectorized form, to be precise) and let the magic happen.
Now, these techniques are not something new, the research has been ongoing for decades but it has only been recently possible that we have computing resources and tools to code these technologies. With these upgrades, AI can process huge amounts of data with speed and accuracy. This makes AI have a variety of important applications like diagnosing diseases, predicting vulnerability to diseases, catching financial frauds, and your favorite – smart assistants like Alexa and Siri. As we progress further in the series, we will see the many super AI powers, limitations, and ethical considerations.
There is a new development in the field of AI every single day, and there is always so much to learn about this fascinating technology. By staying up-to-date on the latest developments and asking questions, you can certainly gain a better understanding of AI and its potential to change the world.
What are some real-life examples of Artificial Intelligence?
Usually, when someone mentions AI, we picture self-driving cars because they are pretty cool (let’s be honest). But, let me start with the ones we use almost every day
- Facial recognition on your phones
- Voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, Google Home, etc.
- Spelling and grammar tools like Grammarly
- Netflix movie recommendation
- Spam classification in email
The common thread between these applications is the ability to function on their own, without much human assistance because these are smart systems, have the ability to operate independently.
Some examples of AI that we don’t use every day (yet) but have a huge potential of impacting our lives. One of them is AI in the field of healthcare. AI-powered medical devices are now being used to diagnose diseases and predict patient outcomes. They have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach healthcare and save countless lives by making these services more accessible and affordable.
In the field of finance, AI is also being used to detect fraud and make investment decisions. Banks and financial institutions are using AI algorithms to analyze customer data and identify patterns that may indicate fraudulent activity. They are also using AI to make investment decisions based on market trends and historical data.
What is it that AI can’t do right now?
While AI has made significant progress and has already made space in our lives, it comes with its own limitations. AI cannot be originally creative, cannot act with empathy, and can’t make judgments that are ethical and responsible. If you force it to make a decision, it would end up prioritizing efficiency. Meaning, it requires quite a bit of human touch.
I am going to elaborate more on the inability to create original creative pieces, with an example of DALL-E. OpenAI describes DALL-E 2 as “an AI system that can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language.” It doesn’t create artwork on its own, it mainly incorporates many different elements of existing artworks by artists.
There have been existing style transfer techniques (which make your napkin drawing look like Van Gogh’s Starry Nights), DALL-E takes it a step further by including the capability of mixing a lot of styles and deciphering what you want by combining it with the text you input. There is a feature called Out painting that helps you extend artworks beyond existing borders which makes the extension very believable. For example, look at the image below produced by DALL-E 2 that expands the famous “Napoleon Crossing the Alps” by Jacques-Louis David. The first image is the original artwork.
I have tried giving it prompts to create something complex for me, and its creation has been TERRIBLE, to say the least. I would encourage you to try it yourself.
Another major limitation is that AI cannot replace human judgment and decision-making entirely. Human oversight is necessary to ensure that AI systems are making ethical and responsible decisions. Without human intervention, AI may make decisions that are not in the best interest of society or that perpetuate biases and discrimination.
Am I happy it can’t make decisions? I sure am!
Will AI help the world or hurt it?
I think today is a good day to reflect on whether AI is good or bad. The short answer will be that it depends on how we use it. For a longer explanation, keep reading.
Talking of positives, AI-powered machines can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. This could result in increased productivity, efficiency, and accuracy across various industries. They also have a huge potential of saving and changing lives in healthcare, education, transportation, etc.
But, some things are not quite right. The algorithms behind AI have their own set of biases (which come from a lot of societal constructs that get translated into algorithms) that can potentially be used to disadvantage certain communities. An example of this is certain resume screening technologies favoring white males and discriminating against women of color. Another example is AI technologies being able to diagnose diseases in certain types of bodies and skin and not in others.
There are also concerns about the use of AI in surveillance and the potential for AI systems to be hacked or used maliciously.
Let’s also address the issues of job losses and employment because of AI. I personally think that AI can free up space in our lives for more creative work by handling redundant, repetitive tasks. However, I totally acknowledge that AI has the potential to automate many jobs, which could lead to job loss and economic disruption.
I feel that the impact of AI on the world will ultimately depend on how it is developed and used.
It is important to ensure that AI is used responsibly and ethically, with human oversight and consideration for the potential risks and drawbacks. By working together, we can harness the power of AI to benefit society while minimizing the potential harm.
So there you have it, AI explained in very simple terms.