What is Artificial Intelligence?
Not so long ago, hearing about Artificial Intelligence (AI) meant imagining flying cars or robots of the future. Today, things have changed somewhat.
When we think of Artificial Intelligence, we immediately think of ChatGPT, artificially created images and the question of the moment: "is our future being threatened?"
Before drawing any conclusions, it's important to look back and try to understand how Artificial Intelligence began and what it really is.
It's incredible to think that the concept of AI already exists, formally, since the 1950s. At the time, it was defined very simply: the ability of a machine to perform a task that previously required human intelligence.
More than 70 years later, with all the research and evolution of the subject, the paradigm has changed. AI is now a much more complex ideain which it is important to define the term "intelligence"especially when we're assigning it to a machine.
So let's look at ourselves, human beings, to try to understand this concept: what distinguishes us as living beings is essentially our level of intelligence, a ability to adapt, solving problems, plan, improvise in new situations and learn new things.
Now let's look at current AI systems. Are they really that far from this definition of human intelligence?
What characterizes Artificial Intelligence is the ability of a machine to reproduce human-like skillsSuch as reasoning, learning, planning and creativity, among many others. skills and disciplines.
Artificial Intelligence allows technical systems to perceive their surroundings, deal with what they perceive and solve problemsacting to achieve a specific goal. The machine receives data, processes it and responds. This data, in turn, can be collected through your own sensors, such as using a camera.
AI systems are able to adapt their behaviorto a certain extent, through an analysis of the effects of previous actions and autonomous work.
That said, we can see that AI has certain characteristics of human intelligenceBut we mustn't forget that it is so, because it was human beings who created it for this purpose.
Artificial Intelligence is considered key to the digital transformation of society and has become an EU priority. However, there are still some challenges and there is a long way to go.
Society and Artificial Intelligence
According to Eurobarometer 2017, 61% of Europeans have a positive opinion about AI. Even so, it is necessary to look for and ensure that the technology is and remains acceptable to society. The way to do this is promote greater confidence in AI products and servicescreating more reliable systems.
Dialogue with the respective stakeholders could play a key role in defining what the use of AI can represent, as well as its importance for society. This is the starting point for greater acceptance of AI in society.
Companies can benefit from the use of AI. Since health improvements until decision-makingthrough the boosting production processes in companiesThis is a tool that we should bet on.
We can even see that even seemingly meaningless and unimportant applications can become generate capitaland specialized knowledge and data that could lead to substantial and useful developments.
The perfect example is the health sector which, thanks to the development of AI for virtual games, has been able to benefit from advances and new ways of detecting diseases such as cancer. Image recognition tools, perfected on cats, were used for these extraordinary discoveries.
The presence of Artificial Intelligence in everyday life
In addition to the beneficial uses of AI for society, this is a technology that is very present in our daily lives.
The truth is that when we talk about the use of AI, for many people it seems that we are dealing with an ultra-technological and highly complex process, but the truth is that we come across AI every day.
This is a technology that is embedded in a series of daily activities in such a natural way that we often don't even realize we're using it.
For example, every time we open Instagram or Facebook and we receive all kinds of recommendations, from friendships to content, we are being influenced by an algorithm. This also happens when we are do a Google search and as soon as you start typing, the tool tries to guess what you want and gives you search suggestions. This is artificial intelligence at work!
In addition to those mentioned, these are some of the applications in our daily lives that we may not realize are powered by Artificial Intelligence:
– Online shopping and advertising
AI is widely used to provide personalized recommendations based, for example, on your previous searches and purchases or other online behavior. This tool is extremely important in the commercial areaThe company's expertise includes product optimization, inventory planning and logistics, among others.
– Web search
Search engines learn from the vast input of data obtained from their users in order to provide relevant search results.
– Digital personal assistants
Smartphones use AI to provide relevant and personalized products. In this way, virtual assistants that answer questions, provide recommendations and help organize daily routineshave become ubiquitous.
– Automatic translations
Language translation software, based on written or spoken text, relies on artificial intelligence to providing and improving translations. The same applies to functions such as automatic subtitling.
And of course, the famous ChatGPT. We're talking about a tool that almost needs no introduction. It's the "know it all" of today. This is AI system powered by a huge database that can answer the most varied questions and solve the most complex problemsEverything is so natural that it feels like you're talking to a human being.
But in a sea of artificial intelligence, when we look at ChatGPT we are only seeing part of the picture. We have a series of tools available, specialized in the most diverse areas and capable of performing work at a professional level.
In the case of design and photography, tools such as Midjourney and Dall-E make it possible to creating the most diverse images and highly realistic montages with just one sentence.
Then there are the tools that, in a completely autonomous way, can make the video editing or even create it from scratchsuch as Pictory and steve.ai.
Then we come to the tools that can make the meeting summaries, creating presentations or even organize an agenda as efficiently as possible.
These are just some of the uses of Artificial Intelligence in a personal or work context, and it is possible to identify the the enormous potential of this technology. Everything is just a click away and waiting to be explored by each and every one of us.
The opportunities of Artificial Intelligence
In the case of companies, AI can enable the development of a new generation of products and servicesThis includes sectors where European companies already have strong positions: the green and circular economy, machinery, agriculture, health, fashion and tourism, among others. Some of its uses include more harmonious and optimized sales methods, improved machine maintenance, increased production results and quality, improved customer service and energy savings.
When used in public services, AI can reduce costs and offer new possibilities for public transport, education and energy and waste management, as well as improving the sustainability of products.
In this sense, Artificial Intelligence could contribute to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal. It is estimated that this technology could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 1.5% and 4% by 2023according to a European Parliament study.
However, in addition to the advantages, this technology and the commercial uses applied to it have ethical, legal and socio-economic challenges.
A long road ahead
Many uses of AI could offer profound social value. However, the best-known applications today are offer relatively small gains in terms of efficiency or convenience, often with unequally distributed costs and benefits.
The impacts on employment and privacy intrusions are increasingly tangible for citizenswhile the promised benefits for their health, wealth and the environment remain somewhat intangible and distant from society's perception.
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on employment
The use of AI in the workplace is expected to result in the elimination of a large number of jobs. However, it is also supposed to create jobs and improve employment, education and vocational trainingIn addition, it will have a key role to play in preventing long-term unemployment and ensuring a skilled workforce.
This technology can make humans more productiveIt also frees professionals from certain mechanical and repetitive tasks so that they can use their human capacity to the fullest to create and innovate in other sectors.
One change in the labor market has begun and will certainly change some jobs in the future. Some 14% of jobs in OECD countries are significantly automatable and a further 32% could face substantial changes, according to a report by the European Commission. European Parliament study.
However, these changes will also create jobs. According to one Gartner reportIn addition, around 21 million jobs that didn't exist until today. This is because the evolution of the digital world, largely due to AI, is in complete transformation, always requiring a paradigm shift in the professional market.
Human autonomy
There is a broad consensus that humans should have control over Artificial Intelligence. This is a topic to which attention should be paid, given the human propensity to take advice from automated machines. Thus, vigilance on this issue is essential.
The big challenge may be precisely to resist the excessive dependence on intelligent machines, which are sometimes not as intelligent as we expect.
In this way, they can and measures must be taken to counteract this same vulnerabilityThese include limiting the role of "subordinates" (Artificial Intelligence) in decision-making systems, as well as ensuring that personal assistants and chatbots don't seem more intelligent or emotionally connected than they are.
What awaits us in the future?
When we talk about Artificial Intelligence, the future can seem daunting, because despite being a technology that is already very present, there is still a lot to develop and improve. It's important to understand its real powerAs Elon Musk says, this is something with an unimaginable capacity for evolution. So, growth will have to be controlledbecause this is something new.
Anyway, at the moment there is no reason or indication that we are in a dangerous situation and we can rest assured that we are not at risk of being overrun by robots of the future! In this sense, we can rephrase and say that the future is unknown when it comes to AIleaving aside the "scary".
We live in a time of change and transformation in the digital age. The future of AI points to and follows the direction of increasingly transparent, ethically built technology and that it is part of everyday tasks, at work or in our personal lives, increasing our cognitive abilities. we are facing one of humanity's greatest technological advances.
For this reason, we must face the future with an open mind, caution and even a little enthusiasm.
Collaboration with: João Félix, Diogo Azevedo and Leonor Porto
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