Take artificial intelligence home

Anthropocentrism is not a new trend. For thousands of years, we were convinced humankind was the only reason the Earth moves around the Sun and why all other species even exist. Some of us still believe it is true. Still, the rest of the population is becoming increasingly aware of a new form of intelligence that threatens our future – a form we have designed and built ourselves – Artificial Intelligence.

When discussing AI, people tend to focus on robots taking over jobs and machines driving cars; however, AI is growing so fast in all different forms to make daily life easier and increase convenience. That is why you should stop getting anxious whenever you hear the term Artificial Intelligence (and you will hear it very often) and invite it home. But how can it help?

Games

Let’s start with the easiest part. While Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have been busy revolutionising the games industry, AI has not been idle, creating an opportunity for traditionalists seeking modern solutions. Google has recently launched a series of AI experiments, and one of them is particularly addictive – Quick, Draw! The machine tries to guess what you are drawing, learning from its mistakes. So, if you are home alone or don’t have anyone to play charades with, AI is your new friend.

Art

Most modern movies are made on the green screen, music is all about beats now, and art itself is becoming a thing we no longer understand or control. AI has played a significant role in all of these areas. Sony’s Artificial Intelligence has recently composed a Beatles-style song called Daddy’s Car, having first analysed more than 13,000 records. AI may not be Paul McCartney’s twin, but if you miss the good old times and seek a simple melody, it entertains you. On the other hand, IBM Watson made a movie trailer after it had watched and examined more than 100 classic horror movies. The film is based on the dreadful skills artificial intelligence can possess.

Virtual assistants

We already have Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Echo on board, but an assistant ordering your pizza for you does sound like a step in the right direction. Mark Zuckerberg wants to go further, and that is probably why he and his team have built a virtual assistant that recognises and responds to his voice only, creating a new level of a smart home.

Translators

People are finally closer than ever to reaching and destroying the mythical Tower of Babel, and we all owe it to Artificial Intelligence. It all started more than 10 years ago with Google’s Translate, which has recently undergone a dramatic change and is now supported by a machine speaking 8 languages and still learning. The translation now has almost nothing to do with the old version; instead, it is focused on what a native would actually say or write. That is not all; Google’s AI experiments, as mentioned earlier, have something to offer as well – a Thing Translator that recognises an object you take a photo of, helps you learn what it is called in a different language and how to pronounce it correctly.

Disease diagnosis

All the things we have discussed above seem comfortable, but another advancement is a revolution which is already saving lives. This year, IBM Watson diagnosed a woman with a rare form of leukaemia the doctors couldn’t see. The supercomputer has studied over 200 million pages of data and more than 500 past patient records. While Watson is taking care of severe cases, wearables will soon be able to help you in your everyday life. A device measuring your heartbeat and diagnosing 15 other conditions may warn you about a disease even before the symptoms occur.

Whether you’re a fan of technology or not, AI will play a part in influencing business decisions and daily life. Wonder what it will do next?