Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

The word artificial intelligence has been rampant recently; is it the future or just another buzzword? Broadly speaking, AI is programming that gives machines the ability to analyze data and solve problems the way a human could, but faster and possibly more accurately. This article on Deloitte.com sums artificial intelligence perfectly stating, " AI is concerned with getting computers to do tasks that would normally require human intelligence".  Before machines were largely responsible for automating tasks like bottling soda or sewing a shirt. Today, machines are attaining higher levels of sophistication that allow them to automate not only tasks but entire processes. AI entails machine learning which involves algorithms that allow computers to continuously improve or "learn" as it gathers more data. Examples of AI include advancements like Siri or self-driving cars. Smart machines, another form of AI, are robots with the ability to act independently from human input or intervention. This development of intellectually autonomous machines is already in progress.The science fiction movies are now moving away from being fiction and becoming a reality. Although a machine-dependent world is still far in the making, recent advancements in AI technology have proven that AI will quickly dominate moving forward.


According to Stanford's 100 Year Study on Artifical Intelligence, "Global revenues from AI for enterprise applications is projected to grow from $1.62B in 2018 to $31.2B in 2025 attaining a 52.59% CAGR in the forecast period." This projection proves the massive growth of AI and the effect it will have on the economy.  Robot imports into North America have increased by 150% percent over the past 15 years. In addition, from 2013 to 2015, the share of jobs requiring AI skills has increased by 4.5 times. AI research and investments for AI have increased immensely in the past few years. Although AI is sure to put many people out of jobs it will also boost the economy and eventually create jobs, particularly in the data and computer science fields. It is important to stay up-to-date on AI advancements and highly consider investing time into learning skills like coding and deep learning in order to stay relevant. 


Below is a useful infographic from innovec.com on the current dominant abilities of  AI and examples of how they are currently being used in our daily lives: