The Future of Artificial Intelligence

 

At this point, it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that AI is all around us. It’s in our devices, cars, and even select house appliances. While some people are quite skeptical of how AI will beneficially evolve over the years, whether you like it or not, I think it’s safe to assume that this technology will play a huge role in the future.

How AI has Progressed and How it Works in Different Technologies

                                                                              

While most people might think that Google’s voice assistant or Apple’s Siri may have been the first modern digital voice-assistant, it was actually the IBM Simon.

The IBM Simon was the first-ever PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and was available for purchase all the way back in 1994! The IBM Simon was shaped much like how a wireless house phone and was, in many ways, the original smartphone.

It had a touchscreen, could have apps installed, and could even send out emails and faxes! While this didn’t have any voice-recognition skills, the IBM Simon is believed to be what shaped the integrated assistants in your phones today.

Speaking of which, you interact with AI pretty much every time you pick up your phone. The algorithms that make all these recommendations for you on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are all linked to AI. And it’s not just algorithms that AI helps with, as Snapchat uses AI to apply filters to your face.

Algorithms are constantly progressing, and so is the software behind them, so although the most common place to find them is on apps. This could eventually change and end up working its way into AI-powered robots.

Artificial Intelligence Robots

                           

In 2021, we have multiple ways for our electronics to assist us, ranging from smart speakers to smart doorbells. But what’s the ultimate destination of this technology? Sure, we may still have speakers placed throughout our house to act as miniature assistants, but the overall goal of this technology is to get full-fledged robot assistants.

Robots like Sophia, a human-like robot (or Android) that was created in 2016, ended up stirring quite a bit of controversy as she made some hints towards wishing to destroy humans.

Of course, one robot alone couldn’t do that, and even if they tried to harm you I’m sure you could outrun their pathetic hobble (assuming there aren’t hundreds of them). While I’m sure the hope is that any threatening bugs could be ruled out with further refinement of the software, it’s unnerving that this is even a possibility, to say the least.

Ignoring what might make Sophia frankly horrifying, Sophia is actually quite a revolutionary bot. This is because she truly has the potential to be a jack of all trades, along with effortlessly communicating with humans.

In a recent video showcasing Sophia’s abilities, Sophia is shown being able to draw! One of the hardest factors of creating full AI human replicas is figuring out how to simulate the joint and muscle movement that allows us to move. And while functioning legs might be a whole nother ballpark, seeing functioning arms and hands is promising.

For better or for worse, the possibilities for the future of these AI robots or assistants are practically endless. We could have robot chauffeurs, cooks, partners, and the hope is eventually even astronauts! So with so many possibilities, it sort of begs the question:

Are any Jobs at Risk?

                                     

Well, like most people, I assume that the first jobs to go would have to do with working in some sort of warehouse or factory. I think all other professions may be able to continue, however, unaffected.

For example, in a car assembly plant, it’s robots that assist in the assembly of cars, but human intervention is still required. Even if it eventually gets to the point where these machines can make far more precise measurements in every single aspect, a human will still need to overview the operation and intervene when necessary.

And yet again, it will take years upon years for these robots to be able to independently operate well enough to replace significant jobs. Luckily, there will probably always be a demand for those who can fix robots.

AI and The Future of Autonomous Driving

Another area in which AI is rapidly progressing, are autonomous cars with full self-driving capabilities. Tesla, now a leader in the autonomous-driving industry, first introduced their Auto-Pilot feature back in 2014, and it was pretty game-changing. There are different levels, varying from 0–5, as a way to measure how close a system is to achieve full autonomy. Tesla’s Auto-Pilot was the first mainstream system to receive a Level 2 rating.

As of 2021, however, a lot of the competition has caught up, as Volvo, Mercedes, Cadillac, and many other brands are now also equipped with Level 2 systems.

It was recently rumored that Audi would be featuring the world’s first Level 3 system in their flagship sedan, the A8, but they ended up abandoning the project right before the car’s debut. Cadillac, however, now has a system that knows you’re paying attention by tracking your eyes, rather than the position of your hands.

Not only is this safer than the latter, but it also means you don’t have to keep your hands propped up on the wheel the whole time the system’s engaged. As a Level 3 system, the hands-free Super Cruise can‘t work on any road in the world. Rather, it’s limited to limited-access divided highways only.

I would consider this system to be more of a Level 2 Plus, however, as it meets all the requirements of level 3, except for the fact that you still have to keep your eyes on the road.

But what about the future of this technology? When will we be able to sit back, relax, and let the car drive us to our destination? Apart from the vast number of improvements that need to be made to these systems, I believe that one of the problems is that almost every car manufacturer has a different autonomous system. It’s hard for these sensors to predict other human’s actions, so I think before we have steering wheel-less cars, all cars will need to be equipped with some sort of auto-pilot system.

Not only that, but all these systems will need to be able to communicate with each other seamlessly, and in most cases, will need to be running the latest version of full autonomy software.

So, while I do believe that this technology will be coming in the next decade or so, the auto-manufacturers that are towards the back of the pack in self-driving technology will have to catch up first, and probably have at least all Level 3 systems.

Final Thoughts

In the end, these are just a few ways in which artificial intelligence can improve and grow over the years. It’s hard to know and assume what new technologies will be unveiled in the future, but I’m excited to see what the future has in store nevertheless.