When AI is mentioned, we often think of high level technology and the future of artificial intelligence (AI). The truth is, AI impacts us all right now in many aspects of life. This article outlines several areas where AI is relevant in our society and for you...
The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence In Everyday Life And How AI Impacts Relevant Industries
What is artificial intelligence? AI used to be the stuff of sci-fi films or dystopian disaster flicks. Technology to be feared in case it got "too intelligent."
Films like Terminator and The Matrix told stories of AI run amok. Stephen Hawking once predicted it would be the end of the human race. While we’re a little way off that yet, AI is already impacting our lives in a big way, whether we realize it or not.
So, let's gain a better understanding. Here are six ways AI impacts our daily lives.
Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Business And The Workplace
Machine learning is now embedded in many aspects of our roles in the workplace. For example, if you work in marketing, many software platforms feature predictive analytics. Also, if you’ve ever used a chatbot on a website to get information.
AI-assisted PPC campaign platforms are helping marketers uncover new and better ways to attract customers. The reporting platforms let you analyze and track performance at one place rather than many disparate systems.
There are even a number of AI copywriting programs. These need minimal input for a human in order to write:
- Ads
- Social media posts
- Long-form articles
When this was first introduced, it was almost a novelty, producing some hilarious content. However, it’s been refined over time and some businesses are using these platforms to write the majority of their emails and social media posts.
The Benefits Of Artificial Intelligence At Home
If you are like a lot of other people, you have a smart speaker in your home. You have a form of AI right there in your house. Your smart speaker learns from its interactions with you so it can better assess your needs and perform the right actions.
Your speaker uses your digitized voice and language and turns it into a format that is readable by machines. It then uses this data and runs it through an AI to determine what you’re asking.
"Alexa, what should I pack for my next business trip?"
Positive And Negative Effects Of Artificial Intelligence On Your TV
If you’re a Netflix user, then AI has been guiding your binge-viewing for a while now. They do this in a number of ways. The Netflix data modeling is some of the most complex in the industry.
They take billions of data points such as:
- Views
- Fast forwards
- Browsing habits
They then use this to model behaviors. The result is a platform curated for you, in order for you to be enticed to watch certain programs.
For example, when you’re scrolling through the menu looking for something to watch, what you’re looking at is completely different from what someone else is seeing.
The recommendations and menus are based on your:
- Age
- Gender
- Viewing history
It knows the types of movies or TV shows that you want to watch and knows what to recommend to you to have the best chance of you maintaining your membership.
It’s not only your recommendations that are personalized. You may also see a different cover image for the TV show than other people. For example, viewers of The Crown have been shown to be predominantly female. However, because it’s such a flagship show for Netflix, they want to promote it to as many people as possible.
So, many women would see cover art involving the character who played the Queen. Men would often see an image of the character of Prince Phillip, or Prince Charles. In later seasons, this was changed to a younger Princess Diana.
Netflix uses your data to guide what type of content it invests money in or shows that it commissions.
In Your Taxi
If you’ve ever used a ridesharing app such as Lyft or Uber, then you’re using systems based on AI. It is used to determine:
- Traffic flow
- How much your ride will cost
- Surge demand (management)
If you’re using their sharing service, where other passengers are picked up en route too, then Uber can analyze the fastest way to pick up multiple people.
AI Impacts In Your (Virtual) Shopping Basket
Amazon has invested billions in developing cutting-edge machine learning and AI. The result is a recommendation engine that is second to none.
Amazon uses billions of data points every day to understand:
- What you’re buying
- How you’re searching
- Product recommendations they'll provide you
It’s this type of personalization that is keeping Amazon as one of the biggest companies in the world.
Many online retailers use your activity to predict your shopping habits and recommend products to you. Some might even do an AI impacts survey.
How AI Impacts Video Surveillance
Everywhere you go now, there are video cameras. It just seems to be a part of life. You’ll see them in:
- Public places
- Shops
- Businesses
But it’s not possible to have someone looking at this footage 24/7. And that’s where video analytics come in. Through sophisticated AI, it can view footage in real-time, flagging any possible issues to the relevant people. This can involve:
- Facial recognition
- Pattern recognition
- Some other action that it has been trained to identify
During the COVID pandemic, AI and CCTV have been deployed in order to keep employees safe.
For example, some companies have been using cameras with heat detection at the entrance to their premises. This detects if anyone has a higher body temperature and does not allow them access to the building until they have been tested, therefore stopping an employee from infecting other people in the workplace.
The system can also detect how many people are in a given space. This is useful when social distancing measures dictate that you need to be a necessary distance from others. Businesses can set limits for particular rooms and an AI will alert them if there are too many people there. It can also restrict access to others if the relevant door controls are in place.
Final Thoughts: The Positive Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Society
Artificial intelligence is here to stay and it is currently deployed in most industries to some extent or another. Most people know that these programs exist, even if they don’t specifically identify them as a form of AI.
In general, it’s a good thing for consumers as it makes our lives easier in many respects. However, it’s always good to know exactly what systems are being used and by which companies so that we are all informed.
