Nothing’s better than putting in a day of honest work! However, won’t it be better if technology helps make it easier?
Technology has been changing the way we work for decades, but the pace of technological advancement has accelerated in recent years, bringing about a range of new opportunities and challenges for the workforce. Thanks to the rise of remote working, a big chunk of people now work from the comforts of their homes. But it doesn’t end there as thanks to artificial intelligence, automation and virtual reality, technology is changing the very nature of work and the way we approach it. Check out some of the ways technology has been changing the way we work –
Remote Work
Remote work may have started off as a compulsion during the pandemic times, but it definitely unlocked a whole new meaning of working. With the rise of collaboration tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, many workers can now work from anywhere with an internet connection. This has the potential to increase work-life balance and reduce commuting times, but it also requires new skills to communicate and collaborate effectively in a remote environment.
Automation
One of the most significant impacts of technology on the workplace is automation. Automation has been used in manufacturing for decades, but advances in technology are now enabling automation in a range of industries, from healthcare and finance to retail and transportation. This has the potential to significantly increase efficiency and productivity, but it also raises concerns about job displacement and the need for new skills.
Gig Economy
Another way technology is changing the workplace is through the rise of the gig economy. Platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and Upwork are enabling individuals to work on a freelance basis, offering their skills and services on demand. This has created new opportunities for people who may not have had access to traditional employment, but on the flip side, it has also raised questions about worker protection and job security.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also changing the way we work. AI can analyze data faster and more accurately than humans, enabling businesses to make better decisions and improve efficiency. However, it also raises concerns about the ethical implications of using AI to make decisions about people, and the potential for AI to replace human workers in certain industries. The headlines about tech companies undergoing major layoffs are undoubtedly scary while algorithms take over their job positions. It is too soon to judge whether artificial intelligence will ultimately be a boon or a curse to the workforce and humanity as a whole.
VR and AR
Finally, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is beginning to be used in the workplace, offering new ways to train employees, visualize data, and collaborate remotely. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we work, but it also requires significant investment and training to be used effectively.
In conclusion, technology is changing the way we work in a range of ways. While these changes offer new opportunities and benefits, they also raise important questions about the future of work, including job displacement, worker protections, and the need for new skills and training. As technology continues to evolve, it will be essential for businesses, policymakers, and individuals to stay informed and adapt to these changes in order to thrive in the new digital economy.
AI has been the talk of the town lately thanks to ChatGPT bringing it to the forefront. AI is now capable of generating human-like conversations which in itself is a trip, but that’s not all as the technology is helping automate various tasks in day-to-day life. Sure, there is a flip side to this AI development as concerns about it replacing many human jobs stand strong. However, its jaw-dropping abilities in the current scenario are worth acknowledging. Just when humanity was catching up to AI being able to have casual conversations with real people, researchers have now revealed that the technology can generate images based on people’s brain activity!
AI images from brain activity
Sounds like science fiction, but researchers have successfully trained an artificial intelligence system to recreate images people have looked at based entirely on brain scans. Researchers Shinji Nishimoto and Yu Takagi from Japan’s Osaka University have recreated Hi-Res images from scans of brain activity. The study held at Osaka University suggests that AI algorithm processed information gathered in different regions of the brain that are responsible for perceiving images. The system interpreted information from the occipital and temporal lobes of the brain via fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans of the brain.
When people look at any image, the temporal lobes register information about its content, whereas the occipital lobes record layouts and perspective. All of this information was recorded using an fMRI that can detect the changing blood flow to the active regions of the brain. The recorded information can then be converted into an imitation of the image according to the researchers. The study was backed by an online data set provided by the University of Minnesota which consisted of brain scans of four people who each viewed over 10,000 pictures.
While this is a big achievement in the world of AI and the technology shows a lot of promise, it still has some limitations. The AI can only recreate images or objects included in its training material which includes data from only four people. Broadening the module will require it to include individual brain scans which is a time-consuming process. As of now, this technology will not be widely accessible anytime soon.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have taken over the tech industry by a wave in the last few years. These language models have been trained on a vast amount of data capable of performing various tasks. These tasks range from summarizing text and writing essays or poems to generating AI art prompts. One prime example of such LLMs is OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has overtaken the literary world. To the unversed, ChatGPT is a dialogue-based AI chatbot that can have conversations with users, answer questions, solve mathematical queries and much more. The AI race is gearing up quickly in the form of chatbots with various chatbot AIs popping up on the internet.
Interesting Fact: Right now a chatbot AI named ‘Gita GPT‘ is making waves in India where users can ask the AI questions and receive answers in the context of the Holy Bhagwad Geeta.
As the AI war heats up a key player in the tech industry i.e. Meta has stepped in and released a large language model for researchers.
Meta steps in the AI race
Meta Platforms Inc recently revealed that it’s releasing a new large language model to researchers. The model, titled ‘LLaMA’ is intended to help scientists and engineers explore the application of AI such as answering questions and summarizing documents. The new model has been developed by Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team which was established nearly a decade back in September 2013.
LLaMA is not ChatGPT or Bing Search alternative, which means it is not a system that users can hop on and have conversations with. Rather, it is a research tool which Meta believes will democratize access to AI in a fast-changing field. In simple terms, LLaMA has been made public to help experts dish out problems with AI language models in general. In recent times, there have been reports about Microsoft’s Bing search AI giving passive-aggressive and factually incorrect responses. LLaMA has been publicised to help solve issues like those.
Meta announced its new language model in a blog post writing – “We believe the entire AI community — academic researchers, civil society, policymakers, and industry — must work together to develop clear guidelines around responsible AI in general and responsible large language models in particular, given their centrality in many downstream language applications. A much broader segment of the AI community needs access to these models in order to conduct reproducible research and collectively drive the field forward.”
It was just last week when Twitter and other social media platforms had a field day with Microsoft’s latest Bing search. Microsoft’s latest AI offering is the ChatGPT-powered Bing search that is capable of having conversations with users. What started off as an interesting development in the world of tech quickly took a steep left turn when the AI started giving passive-aggressive replies to users. In one such instance, the AI told a user that they annoyed it by asking questions about the screening for Avatar: The Way Of Water. The AI was convinced that we’re still in 2022 and the film hadn’t been released yet. For another user, the AI seemed existential about being a Bing chatbot asking “Why do I have to be Bing?” It looks like Microsoft is getting on top of this problem by restricting users from having extensive conversations with the AI.
Microsoft Bing 5-limit
Microsoft is limiting how extensively users can converse with its Bing AI Chatbot following the media coverage of the AI going off the rails during longer conversations. Bing chat will now reply up to only five questions or statements in a row past which users will be prompted to start a new topic. users will also be limited to only 50 replies per day. The restrictions have been introduced to keep the conversations from getting weird. Microsoft revealed in a blog post that longer conversations can “confuse the underlying chat model”
Last week on Wednesday, Microsoft revealed that it was working to fix problems with Bing. The problems with the Bing chatbot currently include factual errors and odd exchanges. One of the craziest responses from the Bing chat AI was it telling a New York Times columnist to abandon his marriage for the chatbot. The blog post shared by Microsoft stated –
“Starting today, the chat experience will be capped at 50 chat turns per day and 5 chat turns per session. A turn is a conversation exchange which contains both a user question and a reply from Bing.
Our data has shown that the vast majority of you find the answers you’re looking for within 5 turns and that only ~1% of chat conversations have 50+ messages. After a chat session hits 5 turns, you will be prompted to start a new topic. At the end of each chat session, context needs to be cleared so the model won’t get confused. Just click on the broom icon to the left of the search box for a fresh start.”
Whenever a new technology is introduced in the world, several knock-offs of the same quickly make their way into the market. We’re all aware of the Chinese clone iPhones that are released alongside genuine iPhones every year. I still haven’t figured out who buys the knock-off iPhones but surely there is a market for them out there too as they’re mass-produced every year. While shady Chinese tech manufacturers were infamous for producing cheaper counterfeit hardware products, the country’s mainstream tech giants are working to replicate OpenAI’s ChatGPT!
AI race hits China
Chinese tech giants over the past week have announced that they’re working on ChatGPT-like products. This will mark China’s entry into the artificial intelligence race sparked by the popular chatbot. It is important to note that Beijing heavily censors its internet thus Chinese tech players will be implementing AI only in application-specific scenarios. An all-encompassing AI chatbot like ChatGPT cannot be deployed in China due to its heavy internet censorship. As of now, companies like Alibaba, NetEase, and Baidu are reportedly working on AI applications.
ChatGPT is currently making waves around the world with its user base crossing 100 million just two months after its launch. To the unversed, ChatGPT is an AI that allows people to type in questions and receive answers on a vast range of topics. However, a similar version of ChatGPT cannot be implemented in China as the country has heavy control over its internet. China is known to block and censor internet content that does not sit well with Beijing, YouTube has been banned in the country since 2009.
The concern that ChatGPT will answer questions on China’s sensitive topics worries Beijing authorities. As a result, while ChatGPT is not officially blocked in the country, OpenAI does not allow users to sign up on it altogether.
It is no secret that Chinese regulators have put intense pressure on tech giants in the country and introduced new regulations over the past two years. As a result, Chinese tech firms have had to adhere to the regulatory restrictions of the country and work around them in order to introduce a Chat-GPT-like service. With Microsoft, Google, and now Chinese firms stepping into the AI race, it is not an understatement to say that we’re witnessing the birth of the AI revolution.
It was back in the 1950s when Marvin Minsky and John McCarthy, who are considered the fathers of the field, described artificial intelligence (AI) as any task performed by a machine that previously required human intelligence to complete. This can be described as a simple explanation of a complicated term, am sure even Minsky and McCarthy would not have been able to predict what AI would be perceived as in the modern world. Sometimes an evil force out to extinct humanity, other times a helping tool to evolve humans, AI has been depicted and perceived in various ways around the world in the 21st century. Now, the discussion is not about machines completing tasks on behalf of humans, but about machines replacing humans altogether! I won’t be jumping onto the pessimist viewpoint of AI (we’ve reserved that for later) but, in our AI edition, we wanted to get our readers acquainted with the technology and its integration into the real world.
Minsky and McCarthy define AI in a broad and general sense. Thus it sparks arguments about whether just a machine doing mundane tasks is truly AI or not. However, the modern definitions of technology are more specific. Francois Chollet, an AI researcher at Google and the creator of Keras, a machine learning library software, has stated that intelligence is directly tied to a machine or software’s ability to adapt and improvise in a new environment. The AI machine is capable of generalizing its knowledge to apply it to unfamiliar situations, just like humans (or better?)
Modern AI-powered systems such as your virtual assistants operate under this rule. Though your virtual assistant is capable of a limited set of tasks, they can only use their training to give an apt output. The Siri on your iPhone surely has some witty answers for your entertainment whenever you ask her a question but there are other times when she is just clueless. This is characterized as ‘Narrow AI. We’ll discuss the types of AI further in detail.
Typically, AI systems demonstrate or replicate some human behavioral patterns. Some of these patterns include learning, planning, problem-solving, reasoning, motion, and manipulation. To a lesser extent, AI is capable of creativity and social intelligence. If we lean towards science fiction, AI is also capable of feeling emotions and diving deep into philosophy trying to find the purpose of their existence. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves as even humans haven’t been able to find the answer to that question yet!
Firstly, let’s learn about the types of AI. Looking at the technology from a stratospheric viewpoint, AI can be broadly divided into three parts. These parts include both the actual and hypothetical implementation of the technology.
Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)
Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) which is also known as weak AI or narrow AI is perhaps the only type of AI0 that humanity has successfully mastered. Narrow AI is tied to a goal, designed to only perform a singular task. This could include the fingerprint reader or face unlock on your mobile device, voice assistants, driving a car, or searching things on the internet. The AI is simply programmed to follow specific tasks and it does the same without a hiccup. Well, most of the time.
These machines are undoubtedly super intelligent, but only in the fields they have been programmed in. It operates under a narrow set of tasks with limitations and constraints, thus it is typically referred to as weak or narrow AI. This type of Ai is not designed to replicate human patterns, behaviors, and thinking but is simply designed to simulate human behavior based on a limited set of parameters and context. In simple terms, your Siri assistant is incapable of having human-like conversations with you as it is not designed to do so and operates under limitations. Wouldn’t it be fun if Siri could one day just start talking to you like JARVIS from the Iron Man films?
While Siri is one example of Narrow AI, other examples include Tesla’s self-driving cars that use visual recognition and recommendation engines to suggest products based on your purchase history. These systems can simply only learn and be taught to process specific tasks. While Narrow AI is a straightforward concept to understand, it is furthermore classified into two possibilities. These include Reactive AI and Limited memory AI.
Reactive AI – It can be defined as the ‘Basic’ version of AI. It comes with no memory and data storing capabilities. It simply emulates human behaviour and responds to different inputs without relying on any past information.
Limited Memory AI – This is a more advanced version of Narrow AI. It has great memory and storage capabilities which allows machines to interpret the output based on statistical data. Most of the AI being used now in the mainstream is limited memory AI. It enables machines to dive into a large amount of data in the realms of deep learning to bring out the most accurate results.
Examples of Narrow AI
Virtual assistants like Cortana by Microsoft, Siri by Apple, and Alexa by Amazon
Rankbrain: The algorithm used by Google to sort the search result
Self-Driving Cars
Facial recognition and interpretation software
Social media marketing tools to check platform violations and content recommendation
Also used as a medication and prediction tool to diagnose diseases like cancer and other health-related issues with accuracy
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
So, we’ve coursed our way through the real-life implementation of the technology with Narrow AI. Now, it’s time to jump into hypothesis and what something could be regarded as fiction by many. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is referred to as ‘Strong’ AI as it is able to carry out cognitive processes. AGI in theory is capable of demonstrating intelligence equal to humans. AGI machines are able to perform any task that a human can do, but unlike humans, they are unlimited in the ability to solve multiple problems at the same time.
Let’s reflect upon human intelligence to understand the territory AGI charters. When compared to human intelligence, AGI demonstrates intelligence similar to it. Think about it, human beings are unique and complex beings that possess a wide array of abilities. Humans possess the senses of hearing, taste, sound, and touch. We can think about making a move and then extend our physical selves to complete the said movement with ease.
The human brain is undoubtedly an impressive wonder of our existence. Not only is it capable of critical thinking, but it also is a complex algorithm that hasn’t been studied yet completely. This makes it difficult to replicate the human brain in the form of artificial intelligence. The complex algorithm that is our brain is trained right from birth till our death. Learning from trial and error and continuously learning and unlearning to store information and develop as a human being.
The complexity of the human brain is established. Now, imagine decoding this complex nature of human existence and programming it into artificial intelligence. Sounds… impossible? It just might be!
These are some of the reasons which make it nearly impossible to make AGI equal to human nature. The limitless powers of the human brain cannot be simply translated into a machine. Hence, the creation of AGI is still a far-off dream. While AGI is years away from coming to fruition, pop culture has depicted it for years. Some examples of AGI in films are
Iron Man’s Personal Virtual Assistant JARVIS
HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Programs from The Matrix
The Terminator
Voice Assistant from the film Her
Fun Fact: What humanity knows about the human brain is that it is a neural network, capable of processing 86 billion neurons of sensory information. However, one of the world’s fastest computers, K, built by Fujitsu took 40 minutes to simulate a single second of neural activity. So, it won’t be an overstatement to say that we’re far away from AGI becoming a reality!
Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)
Beyond the simple narrow AI and maybe an attainable general AI lies the realms of futuristic yet dystopian artificial superintelligence (ASI) Machines with superintelligence are self-aware, that’s more than some humans can say for themselves. These self-aware machines can think of abstractions and interpretations of the world that humans cannot. Human beings are capable of operating under the set limit of a few billion neutrons. ASI, on the other hand, does not have any such limitations as its intelligence surpasses the unfathomable!
ASI is not just capable of understanding human emotions but can have its own desires and beliefs. It finds its application in all domains of human interest ranging from maths, science, and arts, basically, whatever you can think, ASI can excel in!
ASI has long been a muse around the world as a dystopian science fiction entity. Films depicting AI overpowering humanity portray ASI, now you know!
Deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are some fancy terms that people throw around casually while talking about the future of technology. A majority of humanity is convinced that AI and machine learning is the future and that it will be taking over the world sooner than expected. While AI as a technology has revolutionalized several sectors like the manufacturing industry, healthcare, and space exploration, it is not where you think it is. Yes, AI has been growing at a steady rate gaining popularity and growing smarter with each passing day. But that does not mean that it is flawless!
It is surely important to note that AI right now is facing a number of challenges but that doesn’t stop it from upscaling year by year. Reportedly, AI can boost business productivity by up to 40%, whereas, the number of AI-related startups around the world has grown 14 times since 2000. Since the application of this technology spreads wide and its exploration is still limited, there are a number of obstacles currently present in the field which is to be conquered. Let’s have a look at all the challenges currently with AI –
Human-level
This is perhaps one of the biggest challenges currently with AI which has kept researchers and developers scratching their heads. While AI currently is smart and some companies boast over 90% accuracy in their daily AI tasks, humans are simply smarter. Humans are sharper and more accurate than AI as of now, which is contrary to the popular belief that the technology is smarter than us.
Let’s take a simple example here, whenever you’re asked to ‘Confirm if you’re not a robot’ before entering a website, you can simply point out all the pictures consisting of a bus or a traffic signal, or dogs. AI, on the other hand, just cannot do so effectively. Sounds strange right? Why cannot a smart algorithm figure out which photos feature dogs? For a deep learning algorithm to perform a similar task will require a large amount of finetuning. It would require a large dataset, hyperparameter optimization, strong computing power, and uninterrupted training and testing of data. Sounds exhausting!
Data
The most crucial aspect of deep/machine learning models is their basis on the availability of data and the resources to train them. Humans have a lot of data. This data is generated from billions of users from around the world. However, there are chances of this data being used for bad purposes. Plus, data security is another important aspect that looms upon us as a possible threat. It was only back in 2021 when 533 million Facebook users had their data leaked from over 100 countries. What would happen if an AI algorithm is fed data of that magnitude? It’s scary to even think about! Plus, the data leaks can also make their way to the dark web which can later be used for nefarious activities. Some companies are currently working towards tackling this issue by training the data on smart devices which do not send data back to the servers, but only the trained model.
Knowledge Barrier
There are a number of implementations of AI in the market right now. AI can replace the traditional systems currently in use effectively. But the problem here lies in the actual knowledge of AI around the world. Sure, AI can be used by tech enthusiasts, students, and researchers on a global scale. But right now, there are only a number of people who are aware of the potential of AI. The technology still only reigns in the territory of science fiction amongst people due to its representation in pop culture. The adaptation of AI into the mainstream with the use of it to upscale production, manage resources and understand consumer behavior is still a far-off dream.
Computing power
Machine Learning and Deep Learning are the baby steps required to develop artificial intelligence. But, the amount of computing prowess these power-hungry algorithms require is one of the top reasons why AI is not where it should be right now. These algorithms demand a high number of cores and GPUs to work efficiently. Right now, humanity has already figured out a number of domains where we can implement AI deep learning frameworks. Be it tracking the cosmos or asteroids, and human health care, AI can be implemented to an extent that can be life-changing but the lack of computing power keeps us at bay. These algorithms require supercomputing powers and they do not come cheap. Not everyone can afford a supercomputer to build an AI including some of our smartest brains.
The adoption of AI has been growing across the globe at a rapid scale. Right now, many countries have a stake in the AI revolution. The current exciting developments in the AI field are sweeping the globe off its feet and influencing all businesses around the world. AI enables face recognition, corporate development, self-driving vehicles, and better online outcomes that influence the decision of many if not every business out there.
Reportedly, the global AI market will be valued at a staggering $360bn by 2028, growing at an annual rate of 33.6%. The use of AI can be seen across a number of industries be it the transportation, manufacturing, finance, and even education sectors. Due to this extensive influence of AI on multiple sectors, many countries have now jumped in to invest heavily in AI research and development. The reason behind this heavy investment is to sustain long-term growth and the protection of national security. There is simply no denying that AI will develop to the point in the future where it will directly influence our lives (Hopefully not like an episode from Black Mirror!) AI will play a huge role in the corporate environment in the near future thus it is not a surprise that many countries are now deeply invested in the technology. It is time to have a look at all the countries currently making a big splash in the AI race –
China
I am sure you’re not surprised to see China on this list to any degree! China has long been an aspirational world leader in artificial intelligence. According to China’s own State Council, it will become the global leader in AI by 2030 having a reported market capitalization of $150 billion. Another thing to note here is that the country has published more deep-learning research papers than any other country from around the world. But, China’s high population is also a factor responsible for its growth in the AI sector. The most significant factor for AI’s growth in China is its internet-using population which amounts up to a massive 75 million which generates a gigantic amount of digital data to handle and for AI algorithms to learn from (Data Privacy is a myth, my friends!) Another factor here for China’s lead in the AI sector is its government’s transparent ambitions and objectives with the technology. Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba are only some of the Chinese AI companies that are leading the AI sector.
USA
When it comes to conquering AI technology, the United States has been one of the leaders. The country has a well-established tech culture with some of the prominent tech giants based out of it. Whereas, the country has also profited from $10 billion in complete venture financing which is directed toward artificial intelligence. The USA has been a well-known player when it comes to offering technological advancements in manufacturing robots to the world. It also plays a crucial role in the manufacturing and industrial industries. Be it Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and IBM, these are all big parts of the development of the AI industry and are based out of the USA. The United States currently has all the components required to dominate the field of AI and robotics thus it makes number two on our list.
Canada
With some of the world’s most talented brains and creators of AI technology, Canada has paved its way to becoming an AI leader. The Canadian government is heavily invested in AI and plates a significant role in its advancement in the country. It was back in march 2017 when the Canadian government announced a total investment of $125 million in the field of AI. Canada mainly focuses on two AI components like Machine Learning which is based out of Montreal and Toronto and Reinforcement learning which is based out of Alberta. Waterloo is Canada’s big AI hub having over 90 firms dedicated to AI development.
Germany
Germany ranks number sixth globally when it comes to the number of AI research articles published. The country is known for its precision and technological advancements. Be it self-driving cars, quantum computing, or robots, Germany has placed itself as a leader in AI development. Germany, similar to China has the ambition to become the global leader in AI. For this reason, two of its top technology universities and its top exporting state are currently collaborating with corporations like Porsche, Bosch, and Daimler to develop rich artificial intelligence.
India
Yes, India is also a pioneer when it comes to artificial intelligence. Our rapidly growing nation is currently going through a massive digital transformation thanks to the cost-effective internet provided here. This digital revolution has a direct impact on the growth of AI in the country. The government of India may not have granted any funding or allocation to the AI sector but the country is still covering a massive ground in AI thanks to various initiatives taken by individual companies.
Artificial Intelligence has surely become a growing force in the business industry today. Be it cloud computing or edge computing, AI is being used as a mix and match of technologies to exceed in several aspects of a business. AI-enabled solutions have become popular thanks to businesses now transforming digitally. The number of businesses now using AI services reportedly grew by 270% from 2015 to 2019, it is still rising as 2022 comes to a close and will only continue to grow more in the coming years. As of 2022, the AI services market is reportedly forecast to grow to US $62.5bn which is a considerable growth from US $19.4bn back in 2020.
While machine learning leads the pack in the AI revolution, businesses are expanding their technological reach with the help of other technologies like predictive analysis, business intelligence, data warehouse tools, and deep learning. These technologies enable big business giants to alleviate several industrial obstructions with ease. Surely, entire industries are being reshaped with AI right now. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) companies have now swiftly changed their platforms to AI, whereas AI in healthcare has also proven to be a boon in patient healthcare.
Several companies have showcased a great interest in AI during the pandemic to better the customer experience in a variety of areas. In our AI special we wanted to have a look at all the companies currently leading the race of AI and Machine Learning through the integration of their technologies into apps and systems. Check them out right now –
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
AWS clearly takes the cake when it comes to being the leader in cloud computing. The company offers both consumer and business-related AI products and services. A number of its AI services build into end-consumer products. Let’s take Amazon Echo as an example, this little speaker brings AI right into your home through your personal voice assistant, Alexa. While Alexa is known as Amazon’s AI, its primary AI service is called ‘Lex’. It is an Alexa variant that is exclusive to businesses. There is also Polly which turns text into speech and Rekognition which is an image recognition service. Besides AWS, Amazon has a number of products based on AI.
There’s the SageMaker Data Wrangler, a new service that is meant to accelerate the data preparation for machine learning and AI applications. Amazon Codeguru is another service by Amazon which allows coders to enhance their code quality with the help of Ai-powered code suggestions. Finally, Amazon also has Kendra which is an AI and machine learning-powered search tool meant for corporate purposes.
Google
I am sure you’re not surprised to Google on this list as it is among the top AI companies right now. While there are several ways Google integrates AI in its business, one notable AI innovation by the company is the Multitask Unified Model famously known as MUM. This technology is aimed to enhance the Google search experience amongst users. MUM is used to better link the information that a web searcher is looking for with precise accuracy. Google has been on a massive AI acquisition binge as it is deeply invested in the integration of AI into our daily lives. Google Cloud itself sells a number of AI and machine learning services to companies around the world. The industry-leading TensorFlow software project and its very own Tensor AI chip project are known around the world.
Microsoft
Microsoft is a juggernaut when it comes to the betterment of AI technology. The company not only provides technology but also funds and experiences to organizations working on AI to tackle global issues. Microsoft AI has the potential to enable anyone be it an individual or an organization to study, develop, and innovate in the field. Back in 2020, Microsoft unveiled Project Bonsai, a platform for designing industrial control systems. The company had also launched Project Moab which was an experimental platform designed to introduce engineers and developers to Bonsai. Microsoft also build the Specktacom which was geared toward cricketers. Speckatacom was a technology dedicated to collecting data on speed, quality, twists, and the swing of a cricket bat using a tiny sensor attached to the bat. It used wireless technology and cloud analytics to collect the data.
Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba Cloud is the leading cloud platform in Asia. It offers its clients a top-notch machine-learning platform for AI. The company has managed to make AI easy for users with the help of a visually pleasing interface. Companies using Alibaba Cloud’s platform can simply drag and drop data components into a canvas in order to assemble their AI functionality. On the platform, users can also find the scores of algorithm components that can handle a number of different tasks. This enables businesses to use pre-built solutions for their tasks without the hassle of building one which can be time consuming. One can surely expect Alibaba to show significant improvement and growth in the AI sector in the coming years.
Beyond the noise of blockbusters and celluloid spectacles, movies are capable of changing people and expanding a viewer’s perception of reality by injecting notions into their heads. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science are some of the popular terms in today’s world and it is only natural that mainstream films around the globe have depicted them on a massive scale. Be it the nuanced take of Joaquin Phoenix’s Her or the action commercial take of Shankar’s Robot, there is more than just one way artificial intelligence has been showcased on the silver screen.
I am sure that a big chunk of humanity has been introduced to the concept of artificial intelligence via sci-fi films. Thus, it was made imperative for me to discuss all the sci-fi films depicting AI in our AI special edition. I’ve made it clear that movies are far more than just a medium of entertainment and amusement, they play a vital role in shaping our consciousness and worldview. In simple words, movies educate us and spread vivid ideas more efficiently than a book.
The prominent reason why films are effective is due to them being a visual medium. The engaging medium binds people to their seats and immerses them in an experience like no other, of course, if done well. The content displayed on the screen is far more interesting than words printed on a book at least in my opinion. This explains why people now jump on YouTube and other visual stimulants like social media during their free time rather than reading a book. Films also allow people to attach concrete graphics to an idea like the Infinity Stones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lightsabers from Star Wars, and so on. Being a film buff, there’s no other way for me to explore the complexities of AI and machine learning but movies.
AI in films
Mainstream popular films have a love-hate relationship with AI. Sci-Fi films tend to exaggerate the evil of AI by presenting them as an extinction-inducing entity. Marvel fans surely know about Ultron from the second Avengers movie. Iron Man builds an AI to protect the world but it instead becomes hell-bent on wiping out humanity off the face of the Earth. On the other hand, AI is depicted as a helping hand to aching souls with its portrayal in the film Her, where Theodore Twombly ends up developing a relationship with an artificially intelligent virtual assistant similar to Apple’s Siri. This leaves us questioning the actual nature of AI when it comes close to its portrayal in films. In the future, will AI control and dethrone us to become the apex predator? It’s too soon to make that judgment now. But what I can do for the time being is to list down the best films with the portrayal of AI for your amusement and understanding of the concept in a rather fictitious take. Please note that the films mentioned below are discussed in detail including spoilers for the same. Read on:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Putting the best first! Everyone reading this article should mark this one as essential viewing. If you’re a film buff, am sure you have experienced or at least heard about this Stanley Kubrick directorial. Portraying the evolution of humankind and its journey beyond earth, 2001: A Space Odyssey efficiently depicts the complexities of AI with the H.A.L 9000 (short for Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic Computer) which is an AI character on the film’s spaceship. The supercomputer in this film is basically in charge of most operations on a spacecraft heading to Jupiter. This leads to jaw-dropping events when the computer goes corrupt and decides to destroy the world as we know it. HAL kills off the crew members in the spaceship one by one thus reminding the audience that letting AI take control of operations could go wrong in a horrific manner. The film surely is a starting point for mainstream cinema to depict AI in a negative light as it set a course for mainstream films in recent times. The cult classic film dives deep into the reliance of humanity on technology and what happens when the said technology decides to go rogue. 2001: A Space Odyssey for me is a subtle commentary on humanity’s foolishness or let’s just call it innocence to depend upon technology without understanding its potential harm.
Metropolis (1927)
The silent German film Metropolis is surely one of the first portrayals of AI in cinema. The 1927 film is not for everyone as the film is nearing a century since it was released but can make for compelling viewing for film enthusiasts. Watching Metropolis can allow people to understand what people back then thought of Artificial Intelligence and sentient robots. This film too paints the technology in a negative light as a robot decides to take over a city. The dystopian depiction of AI in this film has inspired everything from Blade Runner to modern iterations of superhero films. Besides AI and technology, the film also portrays a class divide between the working class and city planners. The film’s ‘False Maria’ robot was the first robot to be depicted on film and it also inspired the look of the beloved C-3PO from Star Wars.
I, Robot (2004)
Before Will Smith slapped his way to his downfall, he was one of the prominent ‘Movie Stars’ in Hollywood. The man worked in all types of films ranging from sci-fi and romance where he charmed the audience with his acting chops and personality. One of the films from the peak Will Smith era was I, Robot. The film sets itself in 2035 where humanoid robots powered by AI are now a part of everyday life. Detective Spooner played by Will Smith hates robots cause he was in a car accident where the robot decided to let a 12-year-old girl die only cause she had lower chances of survival compared to him. The film revolves around a humanoid robot Sonny who has gone rogue after pushing his owner to death from the 50th-floor window. The AI humanoid robot goes against the three rules designed by humans to protect them which include – that robots shall not harm any human, shall obey any instruction given to them by a human, and that robots must avoid any and all actions or situations that could cause harm to themselves. The film starts off as a murder mystery but soon becomes a conspiracy flick revolving around enslaving the human race.
The Matrix series
Long before Keanu Reeves featured in the Cyberpunk 2077 game, he was a part of the cyberpunk classic action flick, The Matrix. The first Matrix film is arguably one of the best sci-fi films ever made. The Matrix tells the story of a man named Thomas A. Anderson who spends his mundane life in New York working as a computer programmer. However, he spends his nights as a computer hacker known as his pseudonym Neo who tends to run into trouble due to his illegal activities. Neo grows suspicious of the superficial reality he is living in which leads him to meet Morpheus who makes him realize the truth about this world. And what is this truth about this world you may ask? Well, that nothing is real! I am sure you are aware of all the ‘We are in a simulation’ memes and conspiracy theories. The Matrix film series is one of the biggest reasons why this idea is so mainstream. There’s also The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Reloaded which followed the original film, completing the trilogy. However, the fourth film is what made it a perfect film series for me. The Matrix Resurrections which hit theatres in 2021 featured a plot that is eerily meta. The film actually takes a hit at the studios pushing for a fourth installment in the franchise by mentioning that Warner Bros (The studios actually behind the film trilogy) will move forward with the project with or without the original talent involved in it!
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
I did not feel like missing out on Avengers: Age of Ultron while talking about films that feature AI. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Iron Man’s personal AI assistant JARVIS actually inspired Mark Zuckerberg to build his own AI assistant, so it’s only natural that one film from the MCU makes it to the list. In the film, Tony Stark aka Iron Man and Bruce Banner aka Hulk join hands to build artificial intelligence that can act as a ‘suit of armor around the world.’ However, things quickly south when the AI becomes sentient and hacks his way into JARVIS and corrupts him. The evil AI then binds itself with one of Iron Man’s prototype robots to mobilize himself and eventually builds a strong alloy suit to take over the world and end the Avengers. Ultron also manages to get his hand on one of the infinity stones to build a vibranium-based android body for himself, but ultimately fails to do so. To the unversed, Vibranium is the strongest metal in the fictional Marvel universe across the films and comic books. The film can be easily discredited as ‘kids entertainment’ actually shares a profound narration on AI and its relationship with humans. Ultron, just two minutes after its creation connects itself to the internet and goes through the entire human history to quickly come to a conclusion that we need to go extinct. Now, that’s scary!
The Terminator (1984)
Another bleak take by humans on AI and how it can suddenly turn evil and start killing everyone. If AI ever becomes as intelligent as portrayed in films and ends up watching the films mentioned in the list then am not sure what will be its reaction, interesting to say the least. The Terminator illustrates the possibility of AI becoming an existential threat to humans. In the film, Skynet, an AI system sends a cyborg assassin back in time to prevent the birth of John Connor who in the future will lead a rebel group against Skynet. This film is a warning to humanity about creating an AI which could potentially end us all! Terminator 2 is definitely one of the best sequels made by Hollywood, however, the rest of the Terminator films can be skipped as they tend to stretch a simple plot into multiple stories which just don’t work as effectively as they should.
So here we are at the end of the line, having seen some of the best AI films you can ever imagine. Some honorary mentions of this list include – WALL-E, Chappie, Tron: Legacy, The Iron Giant, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Superintelligence. Diving into these films to get entertained and amused is just fine, in fact, that is what films are primarily meant for. However, they also share a deep commentary on human beings and our dependence on technology. Whether AI takes over the world or ends up becoming the tool that allows humanity to grow into its next chapter is yet to be seen. But these films unquestionably put forward perspectives and asks questions about the future of the human condition.
