So you are on a four-lane highway heading to your destination. You decide to go around a semi-tractor trailer. You take a quick glance to see the driver of the semi, but there is no one in the driver’s seat. Wow — what was that?
That was Artificial Intelligence self-driving a semi-tractor trailer. In other words, a semi-tractor trailer being driven by a learning machine (a digital computer). After all, airplanes have had auto-pilot for many years. AI has been used with sending humans and robots to outer space.
Artificial Intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machines, unlike the natural intelligence displayed by humans and animals. Computer science has been busy developing artificial intelligence machines, thinking and working like humans.
How many human jobs will AI replace? Some accounts say as much as 15% or more. On the flip side, look at how many high paying jobs it could create. Someone has to develop, repair, improve and manufacturer the devices.
Perhaps you watched the television program called “Person of Interest” where the “machine” could determine many aspects of the unknown individual crime suspect and then identify the person by collecting images of individuals using AI and public cameras.
Look around and you will find this is not the future but it is the present. The best known and one of the most popular AI in use today is Siri (Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface software).
The friendly female voice-activated assistant interacts with the user on a daily routine. The Siri voice is the actual voice of Susan Bennett, voice actor and Brown University graduate, currently living in a suburb of Atlanta. Siri assists in finding information, getting directions, sending messages, making voice calls, opening applications and adding events to your calendar.
The germ zapping, virus-fighting, disinfection robot called LightStrike manufactured by Xenex is currently being used in some airports, doctor’s offices, and hospitals in an attempt to disinfect and improve areas where manual cleaning was previously used. The $125,000 device has shown to be effective against the Coronavirus and can be a customized solution for any space, including schools and universities.
The company’s patented Pulsed Xenon UV light system is the core for the germ-zapping disinfection Robot. The Robot is an effective disinfecting device necessary to the cleaning process to deactivate pathogens. Xenex says that its robot business has increased 600 percent amid the pandemic.
Do you own a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner or robot mop, a “computer controlled machine” that can clean your mess freeing you to do something a machine has not been invented to do — yet?
Are you no longer mowing the grass because you have a robotic lawn mower programmed to do the job for you? They are available from about $600 to $15,000.
Another example is a Tesla automobile that features self-driving, predictive capabilities and is known as an autonomous vehicle. Although Tesla vehicles are not fully autonomous as they do require an active driver. Many AI features are being incorporated into new automobiles every year. On the horizon are self-driving automobiles from all automotive manufacturers.
The one item we all hate is the AI machine that answers a company’s customer support call. Cogito (software) analyzes phone conversations and provides real-time guidance to help companies better engage with customers.
This AI machine is applicable on millions of calls to customer support that takes place on a daily basis. You can become frustrated when the machine does not recognize what kind of support you are requesting.
Keep in mind, AI is a machine learning system trying to determine a response to a frequently asked question. It may sound like you are talking to a human being, but actually you are talking to a machine. Most people can recognize that they are talking to a “machine.” How does that make you feel?
Other examples of AI machines are Netflix, Pandora, Nest, Echo and Flying Drones. Does your automobile have a GPS system? You ask for a destination and the system gives you specific voice directions to your destination. The AI machine sounds just like a human talking (perhaps Susan Bennett) and giving directions.
The latest AI machine (computer software) that could become the most disturbing is the recent development of AI called Generative Adversarial Network (GAN). Nvidia, a computer graphics company, created GAN software and recently released StyleGAN2 software.
Using this software you are able to create an end product that is indistinguishable from the real thing. This software can create high resolution photographic fake human faces that look just like any real human being. You could have a whole cadre of photographic quality fake friends which look like real humans that you created using the software. In time, they probably will become fake talking friends just like Siri does now.
Last year Facebook took down a network of accounts with false identities. Some of the accounts used fake profile pictures created with AI.
The technology that has made GAN possible is the ability to identify key facial features. You can use your face identity to unlock your Smartphone or IPAD. Likewise, you can tell your software to sort through your thousands of photos and show only those with your pet or a previous vacation. This is doing something a human can do, but a machine can do it much faster. Everything has to be in the correct format — digital.
Facial recognition programs (AI) are used by law enforcement to identify and perhaps arrest criminal suspects. It can also be used to identify police officers who cover their name tags in an attempt to remain anonymous or a criminal in a riotous crowd.
So you shared your photos on Facebook or some similar social media for the entire world to see. AI can be used to create an app capable of recognizing a stranger from one of your shared photos. You are no longer identified with just your friends, you can now be found anywhere on the internet. Imagine all the data related to a real individual that could be available to whomever.
Facial recognition algorithms may not always be perfect, but give it some time before the “machine” becomes more human-like in identifying all individuals.
This article was written by a real human being. Or was it an Artificial Intelligence machine programmed to write articles about AI? You decide.
Credit: Google News
