Less is more. This seems to be the mantra of the future as stakeholders across every industry are backing projects supporting concepts with an inherent ‘less’, think driverless cars, sales-agent less customer engagement and assistance-less deliveries amongst others. As data generation reaches colossal figures and every individual becomes an information source, finally, the playing field seems ready for artificial intelligence to enter and redefine human communication.

Much like John the Baptist cleared the way for Lord Jesus to arrive; big data also prepared us for a high level of virtual inclusion in our day-to-day lives. Every individual’s choices, desires, opinions and guilty pleasures find their way onto the internet, wherein such data is clustered to make each successive search smoother, more intuitive and way more accurate. In fact, while earlier, such data was being used only to facilitate the end user, for the first time now; it is being used to completely keep the end user out of the process flowchart, only to enable him to enjoy the fruits of the ultimate result. For instance, BMW’s confident aim of achieving full ‘Level 5’ autonomy for its cars by 2021 shows how fast big data has acquired the required information of enabling the cars to operate with no human supervision and operate at least as effectively as a human driver on any condition or road.

The advantage? Apart from not having to worry about the next right turn, the average commuter might also see extremely disciplined road behavior as AI chatbots, unlike humans are not unpredictable and none of the cars would suddenly decide to jump a red light on a whim! Added bonus? It will also not get irritated by the continuous honking or abuses being hurled at each other for parking!

The Massive Convergence

The coming together of big data and AI promises a level of operational maturity that can bring a bigger, industry-wide disruption. The presence of big data has enabled businesses to shun hypothesis-based estimates and adopt a ‘data first’ strategy. Machine learning has enabled the creation of massive data sets, which in turn, has contributed to the development of highly sophisticated algorithms that have enabled AI chatbots to literally learn while in action!

The chatbots undoubtedly have gained the most from this association. Previously, bots which had trouble identifying certain phrases or regional accents or nuances of language can now very easily carry on formal business communications to even engaging conversations with users from a host of nationalities! From the emergence of movies such as Her to chatbots being adopted in core human interactive areas such as HR by firms such as Knowlarity, everything goes to show the extent to which chatbots have really emerged as a holistic communication option!

The Road Ahead

The giant strides, in every sense of the phrase, taken by DeepMind, Google’s very own AI company, and its AI bots which have taught themselves to walk, run, jump and climb without any specific guidance shows the deep potential of this technology to develop motor as well as cognitive functions. Through trial and error, it is fast learning skills that require considerable judgment of physical as well as emotional parameters, and each day, the number of hits is increasing much more than the number of misses. From computer vision that teaches machines to see the same way as humans but only with cameras to recreating the functions of the human body that can have a massive impact on healthcare, AI is foraying into every field with immense promise.

Minor obstacles and accidents aside, the impact of AI, pundits estimate, can be huge in scope. From providing emergency communication to contributing to carbon footprint reduction by making it easier to find parking areas, AI can guarantee a huge efficiency spike in very less time. Predictive maintenance is another such space where bots are being implemented at a rapid rate to help replace worn out parts before they cause operational problems. This will help to save millions in terms of production and depreciation costs as well as avoid far-reaching damages.

The future is predictive but it can always take a surprising turn. The important thing, however, is to guide particular technologies on a path that leads to their optimum utilization for the benefit of society. While various naysayers express their reservations regarding AI, it’s potential for a positive transformation in the way we interact with the machines that surround us, and in effect, with each other cannot be doubted. With effective implementation and boundless research that is invisibly yet firmly controlled, AI can become the face, and big data the provider of a transformative technological dual force.