By Isabella Enaworu Content Strategist
When ChatGPT started making waves on the internet as an Artificial Intelligence language model, a colleague asked me, “Won’t ChatGPT replace writers?” I argued to the tooth that AI cannot comprehend human emotions the way I could embody them as a human being. For months, I stubbornly refused to use AI until…
A group call with my brother and his friend. I was once again arguing blindly about the AI ChatGPT, which I hadn’t even given a try. My brother claimed that ChatGPT relieved him of the hours he would have spent researching. That day, on that call, I gave ChatGPT a chance!
It is in human nature to criticize what we do not understand. That is why there are tons of misconceptions about AI. Myths like: AI will take everyone’s jobs, AI will take over the world, and AI is only useful in tech industries, among others, are reasons people remain closed-minded to trying AI. But the reality is that you’ve likely already interacted with AI in countless ways, unknowingly benefiting from its capabilities.
In this article, you will learn:
- What is AI?
- What is Machine Learning?
- How Does AI Work?
- Can AI Learn On Its Own?
- What Artificial Intelligence Can Do
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- Promote Ease in Content Creation
- Improved Technological Advancement
- Improved Social Communication
- Tackling Climate Challenges
- Can Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Intelligence?
What is AI?
You’ve utilized their AI features whenever you ask Siri to set up an alarm, Alexa to turn on the lights, or even Google Assistant to schedule an appointment! Before the emergence of these groundbreaking features, as human beings, we would manually do these things. However, as we embrace technology more closely, Artificial Intelligence is now interwoven into our daily lives.
Succinctly defined, Artificial Intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence by computers and machines. If you recall the basics of computer science, you will remember that you were taught that computers do not understand human language.
Going by that logic, how can computers and machines simulate human intelligence?
What is Machine Learning?
IBM defines machine learning as:
“… a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science that focuses on the using data and algorithms to enable AI to imitate the way that humans learn, gradually improving its accuracy.”
Computers and machines learn similarly to how dogs are trained.
Dogs do not speak human language but over the years, they have been taught to understand specific instructions through positive reinforcement which rewards desired behaviors. Imagine you want to teach your dog a new word, “Touch.” The action you want your dog to perform at the sound of the word, ‘touch,’ is to bump his/her nose against your hand on command while waiting for a reward. The process of training your dog to identify the word ‘touch’ with the real-world concept of the sound ‘touch,’ is comparable to providing a significant amount of data to machines to learn from.
Machine learning is an integral part of how AI learns. Rather than programming a set of rules, AI learns by analyzing huge amounts of data. The data fed to the machine-learning algorithm frequently includes an explanation of the data including a set of instructions that assist a computer program in understanding the action to be taken.
How Does AI Work?
Let’s say we want to build an AI, Swanky, that can recognize images. The initial stage is to feed Swanky’s machine-learning algorithm with various training materials that are labeled correctly. For example, if we want Swanky to learn how to detect houses, we would collect a big dataset of house photos to train the machine learning algorithm.
Once the machine learning algorithm receives this information, it will analyze the data to identify patterns. After identifying patterns, on its own, it will make out what a house looks like. This process is known as Supervised Learning.
Often, because of the limited dataset given to the machine learning algorithm, the AI could classify a tent, cabin, hospital, or school as a house. One of the most interesting things about AI is that like humans, it is ever learning. So, how do we train AI to learn how to correctly identify things?
Simple! By training it. If for instance, the AI algorithm identifies a school as a house, then, it has to be retrained to understand what a school looks like by providing it with more datasets.
Can AI Learn On Its Own?
A 2020 New York Times article argued that achieving human-like intelligence in computers requires them to move beyond supervised learning, just like humans learn best by watching and experimenting.
It’s not up to a decade later, yet, AI algorithms can self-learn through a process called Unsupervised Learning. Unlike Supervised learning where the machine learning algorithm is given labeled data, in unsupervised learning, the data are unlabeled, and the AI is left to discover patterns without any instruction.
Unsupervised learning can be traced to applications like Netflix and Amazon.
Netflix uses AI to perform movie recommendation tasks.
It recommends content based on your viewing history, ratings, and even the amount of time you spend watching individual episodes. This analysis assists it in determining what types of shows you would appreciate, even if they appear to be from completely different genres.
What Artificial Intelligence Can Do
The rise of generative AI has opened a pathway of impossibilities, and it is changing how we interact with technologies. Artificial Intelligence can create content ranging from audio to text; video to images; simulations and writing codes, among others. Below are a number of things AI can do:
1. Promote Ease in Content Creation
How we create content has changed. Large Language Models (LLMs), a type of AI trained through large text data (ChatGPT, Gemini, Writesonic, Copy.AI) have created a unique possibility that develops content within seconds.
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With AI writing software, you can write an email, create an article or irresistible copy, optimize your SEO, and create content calendars, develop a business plan or strategy in minutes, and so much more.
While AI can generate quality written content, what is more, impeccable are AIs like StarryAI, DALL-E 3, Microsoft Designer and Midjourney, which can create an image of something entirely new—non-existent and perhaps, inconceivable.
Creating audio and video content is now, of course, easier than before. In less than a minute, you can create an audio sound from Mubert and create a 3d avatar video with Synthesia or Lensa AI.
2. Improved Technological Advancement
Self-driving cars are AI-powered. This invention has ushered humanity into a phase where cars can drive themselves with little or zero human supervision.
Self-driving cars like Tesla rely on AI algorithms to analyze and process data from cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors.
By processing and understanding these data, a self-driving car can ply the road, and safely navigate it while making real-time decisions.
3. Improved Social Communication
The advent of social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp, among others, was deemed impressive. However, what is even more groundbreaking is how these applications have embraced the emerging AI trend by implementing AI features into their apps.
Meta AI powers Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. This AI feature makes it easy to search for information without bouncing between social media and search engines like Google or Bing.
Meta AI
Meta AI provides up-to-date information from the web because it is integrated into leading search providers. Using Instagram on my iPhone, I asked Meta AI, “What is the best time to post on Instagram?”
See Meta AI’s response below:
How Meta AI Works
One interesting feature of Meta AI is that you can create multi-format content. Using Meta’s Generative AI, you can create stunning images, brainstorm content ideas, clarify information within chats, or delete past conversations if you prefer more privacy control.
4. Tackling Climate Challenges
Global warming has been a challenge across continents. People and organizations are globally advocating for a safer earth, space, and the planet. It will interest you to know that AI has a huge role to play in safeguarding Mother Nature.
The Google Flood Forecasting Initiative, Tomorrow.io, IBM’s Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System are some examples of AI that use real-time data from various sources to forecast and track natural disasters.
AI in the field of climate forecasting is useful in gathering real-time data from satellites, weather stations, and digital elevation models. By gathering useful data, AI algorithms can detect early signs of disasters and predict their potential spread. This will lead to improved disaster preparedness, saving lives and property.
Can Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Intelligence?
As technology moves toward autonomy, a critical question arises: “What will be the purpose of these machines if they no longer require human intervention?”
All of man’s inventions throughout history, have been built to be powered by humans. Even the most remarkable spacecraft require human interaction to function. Similarly, while self-driving cars may navigate roadways autonomously, their purpose is still related to human requirements.
AI will not replace human intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is rather, a tool. Tools are meant to be powered and used by people to achieve their goals. AI is no different from the technology of four-wheeled cars, space crafts, airplanes, washing machines, and so on… The purpose of these inventions is to bring ease to humanity and unlock opportunities far beyond our imaginations.
There is no sector that AI is not influencing. Its capability cuts across education, transportation, e-commerce, agriculture, and so much more. AI enables us to make more quality judgments in a variety of sectors. Emphasis should now be placed on the global good our collaboration with AI can contribute to the human race. Power is in the hands of people who can effectively use AI. This means that instead of viewing AI as a contender, you can instead live with the consciousness that AI will not come for your job. Rather, it is a tool to enhance your productivity. Become socially aware of what AI can do and how you can ethically use it.
