It seems that our timelines and newsfeeds are littered with articles about how artificial intelligence (AI) is going to transform every aspect of our lives. Some will dismiss it as just another tech buzzword, while others will think that it will be many years until we see these game-changer moments. But the reality is that it’s already doing just that.
AI is already influencing how and what we buy. In some cases, how we think about the world and even how we vote on election day. The truth is that AI and machine learning have crept into our daily routine without us even realizing it in the algorithms that determine what we see every day.
If you dare to look behind the curtain, you quickly discover these emerging technologies are not magic, it’s just math. Our digital footprint is made up of millions of data points that are created from every mouse click and swipe of the touchscreen on our smartphones. These also include every digital experience, from web searchers, online interactions to online purchases.
AI can quickly make sense of this deluge of data and tailor your future online experiences in a wide range of personalized experiences. Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon all monitor our every action and use elements of AI to perfect our listening, viewing, and online shopping experience.
On the downside, the biggest tech companies in the world have been accused of using this same technology to hack the brains of its users and make social media much more addictive. In many ways, our smartphones have become similar to a Vegas slot machine reward us with small hits of dopamine to keep us endlessly scrolling.
Digital assistants and smart speakers are also appearing in many rooms inside our homes too. A growing list of digital assistants such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google home are continually waiting to answer your next questions and learn from your daily ritual. The smart home is becoming a reality as home heating, and lighting can automatically switch on as you leave the office at 5 pm.
As humans, we are relatively predictable. When armed with enough lifestyle data, AI can easily predict your preferred eating time, your preferred room temperature, and when to dim the lights on movie night. When leaving your home, everything from Google Maps, Uber, and even checking your flights will all have elements of AI and machine learning.
The articles that you read many other news sites will all be determined by AI algorithms. Even LinkedIn uses automation and AI to power recruiting tools. There is no denying that AI already influences every aspect of how we live our lives. But where do we go from here?
Before we get too excited, AI technology is still very much in its infancy. Many of the behaviour led algorithms, and AI solutions currently available on the market are not pure AI either because they often lack the ability to learn on its own. But, make no mistake, transformational change is waiting in our immediate future.
The arrival of 5G will bring IoT to life as more and more sensors connect everything. Streamlined transportation and truly connected cities will quickly become a reality. As businesses naturally collect more data, they will begin to unlock even more insights required to help them innovate and make data-driven decisions at scale.
We can expect the speed of change to quickly ramp up and help entire industries evolve and create much faster moving marketplaces. The removal of so-called intermediaries that slow down processes will disappear to help businesses wow their digitally savvy customers and increase profits in the process.
AI and automation will also liberate and set us all free from robotic and mundane tasks. We will finally learn to leave the boring stuff to the machines so we can get back to being human and delivering value through strategy, innovation, creativity, and management. We will also retire the humans vs. machines debate and accept that collaborative intelligence, which leverages the best of both worlds, is the best way forward.
The transformational qualities of AI technologies and opportunities on the horizon are breath-taking. Make no mistake AI is already here, and if you dare to look beyond the smoke and mirrors, you quickly learn that it’s just math.
Soon, it will be quick-thinking businesses that use this to their advantage by eradicating data silos and create a unified data warehouse. Unlocking the value that was previously hidden, will enable data-driven decision making into every part of their business. 2020 looks set to be the year where businesses of all sizes will be exploring how AI can give them a competitive edge and finally put their data to better use.