Source: Pixabay
When people think of the future – dating back as far as the 1960s with the cartoon The Jetsons – everyone assumes there will be robots. 2017 has rolled around and we don’t have robot butlers, robot chefs, or robot schoolteachers. But we have made some remarkable moves towards AI technology, which will prove to be the magnet that draws a lot of investment the more enhanced it becomes. While stock prices remain steady for the fledgling AI companies, China looks set to try to corner the market and create a $150 billion artificial intelligence sector. While it may seem as futuristic as The Jetsons, there is actual evidence that the start of AI technology is in effect in our current lives – only it doesn’t seem that way because the robots aren’t the stereotypical kind.
Online poker is a good example of the starts of AI technology being integrated into how things are done. For example, online poker sites are offering players the chance to play live poker games, by hooking up live dealers with players from around the world to create an immersive casino atmosphere. At the moment it is human dealers who engage players in games of Texas Holdem, Omaha or 7 Card Stud, or in the case of 888poker with Face2Face technology players can even see each other while playing from their desktops. The technology showcases how movements in one person’s location can affect how things for others players with an intermediary present. This is essentially how technology will be for the likes of robot salespeople, who will be an intermediary between two real people.
Self-driving cars are also showcasing what AI technology is beginning to be able to do. While not fully operational, early prototypes are showcasing the safety and ease of service. Intel has recently designed a system that would physically prevent autonomous cars from causing road collisions, which is the primary reason for the lack of adoption by the general public. Indeed, the AI issue is an interesting one where handing our lives into the hands of AI is involved, yet one that needs to be addressed before AI becomes the mainstream norm.
Source: Pixabay
Perhaps the biggest jump in the way of AI is through the ‘thinking’ done by some AI prototypes. While providing information to us and allowing us to feedback is useful, having AI truly think for itself is the largest jump in visualising what a robotic future would look like. Google’s AlphaGoZero proves just that. The machine was able to learn the game Go with no human assistance in just three days, showing the capabilities AI will have for ‘thinking’. While no sentient thoughts are available aside from analysing strategy at this time, it is only the next step on the road to a fully AI future.
Artificial intelligence will be the future – whether detractors join in or not. Each decade we are growing closer to a world where machine autonomy is inevitable. The same pattern can be seen back during the Industrial Revolution, which arguably allowed humanity to evolve more so than any other inventions. By entrusting machinery with the job of a human, we were able to enjoy an easier life away from factories – which is what AI is set to do. Now is the best time to invest in AI, especially seeing what the initial technology can already do.
