The internet of things has connected everything our lives touch, from our home appliances to the cars we drive and even the clothes we wear. As a product of the digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) is leading the way as an emerging technology. Yes, it has transcended the realm of science fiction. It is no longer a type of technology that is only understood and used by scientists, developers and manufacturers. Today, AI is integrated into our everyday objects and routines. It’s working behind the scenes to make life simpler, faster and smarter. Here’s how.
AI and Smartphone Photography
The Huawei P20 Pro has broken new ground when it comes to the integration of AI into its smartphone photography functionality. The P20 Pro uses world-class artificial intelligence to recognise more than 500 scenarios in 18 categories, and to adjust the lighting and scene parameters to produce the best shot. Real-time scene and object recognition technology means that the P20 Pro can recognise a cat, the ocean, food and fireworks. AI has also changed the game for taking selfies. The latest Beautification AI technology follows the contours of your features and adjusts the 3D Portrait Lighting feature for the most flattering selfies.
AI and Social Networking
Every time Facebook automatically recognises you or one of your friends and suggests a tag, that’s artificial intelligence. This is all made possible through the use of machine-learning algorithms that mimic how the human brain works when it recognises people, places and things. AI technology pervades almost everything about how Facebook works, from how it personalises your newsfeed to ensure that you see posts that interest you, to the targeted ads you are served.
AI and Car Manufacturing
Today, even our cars are connected via the internet. Volvo’s aim is that no fatalities or serious injuries will occur in a new Volvo car by 2020. This ambitious aim is well within Volvo’s reach partially due to the integration of AI into its latest models. It’s S60 for example, is able to identify when a collision is imminent and brake immediately or warn the driver in time to prevent the collision. Its technology can identify cyclists, large animals, other motorists and pedestrians in low visibility settings, to ensure an unmatched level of safety.
AI and Financial Services
According to beebom.com, fraud detection has become faster, more accurate and more effective with the onset of AI. Banks now employ AI to detect when suspicious transactions are taking place in time to notify customers via email or SMS. Scammers are getting smarter, but thankfully so is technology. According to the diagram below, credit card fraud detection now happens at a rate that’s faster than the blink of an eye.
Source: beebom.com
AI and Healthcare
The advent of smartwatches has changed modern-day healthcare as we know it. Studies suggest that “smartwatch data can be used to detect and even predict disease.” This is made possible by the smartwatch’s ability to monitor vital stats like heart rate, skin temperature, number of steps taken per day and quality of sleep. Healthcare for the first time, has been placed in the hands of consumers, thanks to AI.
AI and Remarketing
Have you ever abandoned your cart during an online shopping transaction because you got distracted or decided that buying those new shoes wasn’t a good idea? Online retailers use AI to make sure that the items you viewed, remain top of mind. South African retailers, Spree and Superbalist have invested substantially in this technology – so have global giants Amazon and Walmart. Targeted ads are used to remind you of the items you viewed, as well as similar products. For avid shoppers, these ads are irresistible.
Source: Spree
AI and Smart Assistants
With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy 9 and 9+, everything we’ve come to love about AI has been brought to life through Bixby. This integrated smart assistant recognises the voice of the phone’s owner and performs voice-activated commands like checking the time and weather, scheduling appointments and even pointing the camera at a certain type of food to get a calorie estimation. It can also help users to translate signs in foreign languages while they’re travelling.
AI and the Performing Arts
An arena that is rarely mentioned in the AI space is the performing arts. Ginette Methot of venturebeat reports that Kaiji Moriyama, a world-famous dancer, played the piano on stage without touching a single key. Sensors attached to his back were able to produce the instrument’s sounds by synchronising his body movements with the notes. According to Methot: “Yamaha sees this fusion of body movement and music helping move new art forms forward.”
Source: Engadget
AI and Streaming
Your streaming app of choice knows more about you than you think. Netflix for example, “provides highly accurate predictive technology based on customer’s reaction to films,” according to R.L. Adams of Forbes.com. It uses a wide array of data like your preferred genre, your streaming frequency, your ratings and feedback and your subscription demographics to determine what you may want to watch next. It’s a technology that takes the thinking out of entertainment. As soon as one form of entertainment ends, the next one is lined up.
AI and Smart Homes
Smart homes are the epitome of how much AI has changed life in the digital age. Today, it is possible for homes to be automated in ways that were previously unimagined. Smart homes, connected to an AI system, are able to adjust lighting according to how much light is filtering into the home at certain times of day. Thermostats can turn off and on automatically to control temperature. Curtains can be programmed to open and close at a certain time of day through motorised systems. The possibilities are quite literally endless.
From today’s biggest retail giants to the man on the street, artificial intelligence is being used in ways that were previously restricted to the realm of films. Progress in the digital age is made in leaps and bounds and AI is at the forefront of the current industrial revolution. Whether you’re onboard with what this technology can do or not, you’re already using it in one way or another. Welcome to the next level in digital living.
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