Much studied in recent decades, the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is promoting truly disruptive innovations in companies, which directly impact not only their production chains but also our daily lives. Artificial Intelligence devices are already capable of performing tasks never imagined, such as predicting floods, diagnosing diseases, or enabling our mobility through autonomous cars that dispense with drivers.
What is Artificial Intelligence and how does it work?
Artificial Intelligence is the capacity that technological solutions have to simulate human intelligence, performing certain activities autonomously and learning by themselves, thanks to the processing of a large volume of data that they receive from their users.
But how does Artificial Intelligence work? These intelligent machines combine huge amounts of data, constantly fed by humans, and intelligent algorithms to read and interpret patterns. This makes you’re learning process and, consequently, teaching, very efficient.
The three types of AI
There is no single type of Artificial Intelligence, as the tools are many, with different degrees of sophistication. To facilitate understanding, AI is divided into three different subareas, according to the functions it is capable of performing. Despite presenting classifications that often overlap, the main types of Artificial Intelligence are Limited Artificial Intelligence, or ANI – the one we use the most; Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI – with intelligence similar to that of humans; and the Superintelligence, or ASI, which is still being studied and promises to revolutionize our daily lives.
Weak Artificial Intelligence or Limited AI
The first type of AI is Limited Artificial Intelligence, or ANI, which is known as “Weak AI” or “Narrow Artificial Intelligence”. They are machines that store large volumes of data to perform calculations and perform their specific tasks. They are present in facial recognition or in a company’s service system, personified through a chatbot.
Strong Artificial Intelligence or General AI
The General AI subarea, or AGI, is considered the “Strong Artificial Intelligence” (from English, “Strong AI”), or “human level”, and works in a similar way to the human being, being able to react to stimuli. These are applications that perform a variety of tasks and have the ability to assign mental states to themselves or humans.
Artificial Superintelligence
The third sub-area is Artificial Superintelligence, or ASI, which is still being studied. The prediction is that its intelligence is superior to humans, capable of performing tasks impossible to human beings. It is in this sub-area of Artificial Intelligence that most of his controversial prophecies are concentrated, such as the one that we reach immortality or a world dominated by machines.
Products or Services
But it is in companies where the AI revolution is already happening, with its applications being used to drive results, increase productivity and save time. AI is used in the most diverse areas and helps management professionals to map processes. Widely used in customer service systems, chatbots are a good example of how Artificial Intelligence is already part of everyday life for most people and help companies create products and services in line with consumer expectations.
Examples of application of Artificial Intelligence in everyday life
The use of Artificial Intelligence in our daily lives goes far beyond chatbots. There are several applications in the financial market, such as the evaluation of indicators for decision-making or data analysis for granting credit. The marketing planning of many companies also relies on AI to map trends, behaviors, and opportunities to launch new products.
AI in health and medicine
In recent years, medicine has benefited enormously from Artificial Intelligence, impacting the routine of health professionals and patients. AI is used, for example, to prioritize care queues and analyze a huge amount of clinical data that humans cannot process. It is also used in solutions aimed at interoperability and even in surgeries performed by robots, without the direct interaction of the physician, who is only responsible for supervising the procedure.
AI in the areas of law and advocacy
Technology will certainly usher in a decade of many advances that will transform our court system, allowing more individuals access to justice. Imagine how much it costs today, in time and money, a litigious process.
The application of AI will enable the collection and organization of information and will give lawyers the possibility of making decisions with the help and speed of processing of machines that, in turn, will be able to make a decision autonomously, without the need for intervention human in the procedure.
Impacts of Artificial Intelligence on society
We are already living in a world where machines can do things that previously only us humans were able to do. In some cases, these non-human systems can perform certain tasks better than we can.
The impacts of Artificial Intelligence on society are enormous: it can now mimic human speech, translate languages, write contracts faster and more efficiently, and even win a chess match against a human being. And this technology will not stop there…
Impacts of AI on people’s daily lives
Imagine that, in the area of education, the use of Artificial Intelligence will allow a student to study anywhere in the world, at any time. And in a much more efficient way, as the contents will be made available according to individual learning needs.
AI is also changing our entertainment. Specifically in music, a little while ago software was presented that creates, according to certain parameters, personalized music according to the request and feelings of the users.
And in times of a pandemic, thanks to its high capacity for analysis and data processing, AI is helping healthcare to diagnose, treat and contain the spread of COVID-19.
Impacts of AI on the economy and financial market
The financial sector has increasingly relied on this technology to leverage investments, influence decision-making and optimize its processes.
Some examples of the use of Artificial Intelligence in the financial market are the use of machine learning for risk analysis and predictions of bankruptcy risk, returns, and profits. For mutual funds, AI helps with portfolio creation and sentiment analysis of market news. In the case of trading, robots with predefined parameters are used to operate the purchase and sale of assets.
AI impacts on companies and businesses
Artificial Intelligence in business has also proven to be very efficient in coping with the crisis. Whether in manufacturing or retail, companies that proactively created and processed data were able to increase their operating profits. Companies that entered the pandemic supported by databases were able to better understand market changes and grow in the digital-first environment, through new products, services, and business models considered relevant to their customers.
AI impacts on jobs and the job market
One of the most controversial topics related to this technology is the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the job market. Some forecasts indicate risks of mass replacement of many jobs and others preach the positive effects of the creation of new occupations. Despite controversial opinions, AI will demand the re-qualification of workers and the most susceptible occupations will be those based on routine tasks, whether physical or cognitive.