Image via Pixabay

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a phrase on everyone’s lips these days. The technology is the result of human inventiveness and it stands to change all aspects of our lives.

What is artificial intelligence? Here is a straight forward explanation that I have not come across before. Artificial Intelligence is software that is coded to deduce the outcomes and trends of certain datasets. The software analyzes the data and predicts (or in other words works out) the most likely next steps before they happen.

AI feeds on data sets and the more we can provide, the more machine algorithms that can learn will infiltrate and change our lives. AI is not a futuristic technology anymore; it’s already present in all spheres of life and across the majority of industries. You are interacting with AI when you use Google maps to get to a destination or follow the shopping suggestions of a chatbot online.

Advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence are having a huge impact on our lives and will continue to do so in the future. Here’s looking at some ways AI will shape our world in the future.

1.Making smart homes smarter

Image by Pixaline via Pixabay

Our smart homes are already adjusting the room temperature, turning the lights off and on, checking up on home security and playing our favorite music without our asking. Great as that is, it’s just the beginning.

Within about ten years from now, our homes will become really smart. Your home and appliances will be immersed with the Internet of Things (IoT) and due to advancements in artificial intelligence, your home will be able to observe and learn from your routines and end up anticipating your needs. For instance, your home will set your alarm for 6 am because it noticed from your schedule that you have an early morning meeting.

And for the many women who hate cooking or have grown tired of coming up with something interesting to cook day after day, there’s really good news. The kitchen of the future will feature a robotic arm, complete with sensors and cameras, to act as a personal chef. It will even clean up after itself (and the family).

And don’t worry if your smart apartment is tiny. You won’t need a lot of furniture for it. In the future, furniture will be designed to change their shape in order to change their function. You won’t need a piece of furniture for every activity; on your command, your bed can become your desk and vice versa.

In the future, your home will become your first point of healthcare. Your refrigerator will suggest nutritious food, medicine cabinets will inform you if you forgot to take your tablets and your toilet will analyze your waste for possible health problems. There’s even talk of urine-sampling toilets!

Also, Alexa won’t be parked on a cabinet in the sitting room or the kitchen; you’ll be able to talk to her, or your preferred home bot, everywhere in your home.

2. Revolutionize healthcare

Image by Thomas Meier from Pixabay

Healthcare has become a prominent area for AI research and applications. The technology is transforming medicine.

I. AI-assisted robotic surgery

You may be nervous when you think about an AI-powered machine operating on you, but robotic surgery, or robot-assisted surgery, is already in wide use. The technology means doctors can perform many complex procedures with greater precision and more control.

AI-assisted surgery has many benefits. One study found that it can lead to five times less surgical complications compared to surgeons operating alone. AI-assisted surgery also means less pain because of the minimal invasion surgery and fewer days spent in the hospital. Patients also experience fewer complications.

II. Your own virtual nurse

You are already having conversations with Alexa on your way to work, now you can tell your virtual nurse all about your aches and pains and she’ll point you in the right direction. She can assist you with monitoring your chronic disease and help you to take your vitals. She’ll listen to you talking about your pain, lack of sleep, stress levels and weight problems.

You can check out San Francisco-based Sense.ly, which has created a virtual nurse called Molly.

III. Diagnoses of diseases

According to the Institute of Medicine report, “diagnostic errors contribute to approximately 10 percent of patient deaths,” and also account for 6 to 17 percent of hospital complications. AI can make a big contribution here.

Artificial intelligence can be leveraged to help doctors diagnose diseases early and accurately. The software is being used to analyze many types of imaging tests like X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and echocardiograms. Through machine learning and pattern recognition, these systems are able to accurately and much faster than humans, make a diagnosis. Countless lives can be saved by the ability of AI to detect signs of disease early and accurately.

Cancer is a disease that continues to claim millions of lives every year. In 2018 alone there were 17 million new cases of cancer worldwide. AI is already changing that. The technology is improving accuracy in medical imaging diagnosis, helping doctors to spot cancer in the early stages. Deep learning plays a vital role here. Deep learning drops the error rate for breast cancer diagnoses by 85%.

Diagnosis of rare diseases is notoriously complicated and time-consuming which delays much- needed treatment. Scientists are using facial recognition software and machine learning to help with the diagnoses of rare diseases. In one study, scientists trained a neural network on 30,000 portrait images. The network automatically combines portrait photos with genetic and patient data, resulting in efficient and accurate diagnosis of rare diseases.

To be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease today is like an early death sentence. By the time doctors make the diagnosis, too many neurons have already died, making the brain damage practically irreversible. AI could change this unfortunate outcome. Scientists have shown that AI can detect the presence of Alzheimer’s in brain scans six years before a clinical diagnosis could be made. This means that doctors would be able to start treating patients earlier.

These are just a few of the applications of artificial intelligence in medicine, there are many more.

3.Massive disruption of transportation

Autonomous technology is fundamentally changing the transportation industry. We already have smart planes that fly on autopilot technology and driverless trains transport commuters in numerous cities across the world, including Copenhagen, Madrid, Dubai, London, Turin, Singapore and more.

UPS and other transportation companies have started using autonomous cargo trucks to deliver goods and every major car manufacturer is working on autonomous vehicle technology to develop autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

Driverless school busses

How ready are you to get into a self-driving car? What about a self-driving school bus? Is the Iconic yellow school bus that transports more than half of America’s schoolchildren each day about to be replaced by driverless buses?

The driverless vehicle, Hannah, by Seattle-based design firm, Teague, is an example of how children will be transported to and from school in the future. Hannah, a prototype for a future autonomous school bus, has room for only six students to limit bullying. Onboard facial recognition technology will welcome your child by name and prevent anyone who isn’t scheduled for a ride from getting on the bus.

And waiting at the bus stop will be something of the past. Vehicles like Hannah won’t make use of central bus stops. Your child will be picked up and dropped off at your front door.

Most people won’t own a car

Some experts foresee a future without personal car ownership. Instead, we’ll have on-demand autonomous vehicles. Once ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft have perfected their AV fleets, it would be much simpler, more convenient and cost-effective for people to use these ridesharing services than to own a car.

Cars will double up as a “digital living space”

Your trip to work won’t be a waste of time. AVs will act as a “digital living environment” complete with large screen monitors so you can have that video call on your way to work. Or you can continue watching your favorite TV series on your way to work.

Image by Shilin Wang from Pixabay

No more traffic jams and parking problems

In the future, we’ll all be safer on the roads. Fully autonomous vehicles will be safer than human-controlled vehicles because they will keep to the speed limit, obey traffic laws, won’t get distracted, text while driving or drive under the influence of alcohol.

Work on autonomous transport is continuing apace. Provided that governments can sort out the required legal and technological frameworks, those of us who live in major cities will be able to get a ride in a driverless car by 2030.

IoT connected transport systems will mean, smoother traffic flow, less traffic jams and an end to parking problems. Efficient autonomous vehicle systems would send vehicles that are not needed off to congregate somewhere outside the city until they’re needed.

4. AI is remaking the entertainment industry

AI has totally changed the way we engage with entertainment. Why go to the movies or wait for your favorite TV series to screen at 8 pm on Thursday when Netflix will provide you with an almost endless array of movies, documentaries and TV series, all primed to your taste according to your viewing history? And this AI-powered service is available any time of day. We have come to enjoy media whenever and wherever we want.

As AI-enabled robots take over tasks in our lives, we will eventually have more leisure time on our hands. This means content creators like Netflix are under pressure to increase content creation. But how do you know if your movie or TV series will be a hit? AI can figure that out and save movie makers the agony of a box office flop.

No more box office flops

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Artificial intelligence can tell filmmakers which actor or actress would help to make the movie a smash hit or in which country the storyline would hit a nerve with the audiences.

Los Angeles-based startup Cinelytic uses predictive analytics to make casting recommendations. The software lets you see how changing one actor for another might affect the movie’s box office performance. Cinelytic is one of many startups working to apply AI to the movie business. Their technology will make it possible for moviemakers to choose the factors that would most likely bring them box office success.

Watch Marilyn Monroe in a brand new movie

Image by Dayron Villaverde from Pixabay

The resurrection of legendary movie stars and performers will be possible through the use of generative adversarial networks (GAN). GAN is a subset of machine learning. This technology stands to massively disrupt entertainment, bringing deceased stars back to the screen and making it possible for anyone to become a star, albeit a virtual star. Think about it, if you know how to market yourself, you can become the next, very wealthy, Liberace.

American visual effects and digital production company, Digital Domain, is making this future possible. The company uses proprietary AI systems to integrate humans into computer-generated imagery character design.

A new world of music

AI is stepping into the world of music, helping musicians to compose novel melodies and distinctive beats. But at this point, it’s far from an exact science (or an admirable creative endeavor). Flow Machines, a songwriting algorithm, has already brought out several albums, including, Hello World, which features a range of music genres. The algorithm is used by numerous artists as a creative assistant.

These algorithms work by processing thousands of genre-specific songs. They then come up with custom melodies and chord progressions particular to that specific music genre. This boosts the creative process of human musicians and inspires them to come up with more unique music than before.

In the future, AI will increasingly form part of this creative process. Not all music will be computer- generated, though. To judge by the current titles, AI music has a way to go.

Listen to a snippet of The Flow Machines AI-composed concert.

These are just a few of the ways that AI is infiltrating the world of entertainment. We will see the most profound effect of AI on entertainment when virtual reality has been fully developed. Then we will immerse ourselves in virtual worlds with virtual artists and virtual music.

Looking for work within the artificial intelligence industry? go to Aijobs.com to find the latest jobs available.