By now, almost everyone knows a little bit about artificial intelligence, but most people aren’t tech experts, and many may not be aware of just how big an impact AI has. The truth is most consumers interact with technology incorporating AI every day. From the searches we perform in Google to the advertisements we see on social media, AI is an ever-present feature of our lives.
To help nonspecialists grasp the degree to which AI has been woven into the fabric of modern society, 12 experts from Forbes Technology Council detail some applications of AI that many may not be aware of.
1. Offering Better Customer Service
Calling customer service used to be as exciting as seeing a dentist. AI has changed that: You no longer have to repeat the same information countless times to different call center agents. Brands are able to tap into insights on all their previous interactions with you. Data analytics and AI help brands anticipate what their customers want and deliver more intelligent customer experiences. - Song Bac Toh, Tata Communications
2. Personalizing The Shopping Experience
Every time you shop online at an e-commerce site, as soon as you start clicking on a product the site starts to provide personalized recommendations of relevant products. Nowadays most of these applications use some form of AI algorithms (reinforced learning and others) to come up with such results. The experience is so transparent most shoppers don’t even realize it’s AI. - Brian Sathianathan, Iterate.ai
3. Making Recruiting More Efficient
Next time you go to look for a new job, write your résumé for a computer, not a recruiter. AI is aggregating the talent pool, slimming the selection to a shortlist and ranking matches based on skills and qualifications. AI has thoroughly reviewed your résumé and application through machine learning before a human ever gets to look at them. - Tammy Cohen, InfoMart Inc.
4. Keeping Internet Services Running Smoothly
Consumers have come to expect their favorite apps and services to run smoothly, and AI makes that possible. AI does what humans cannot: It monitors apps, identifies problems and helps humans resolve them in a fraction of the time it would take manually. AI has the ability to spot patterns at scale in monitored data with the goal of having service interruptions solved before customers even notice. - Phil Tee, Moogsoft
5. Protecting Your Finances
For credit card companies and banks, AI’s incredible ability to analyze massive amounts of data has become indispensable behind the scenes. These financial institutions leverage machine learning algorithms to identify potential fraudulent activity in your accounts and get ahead of any resulting detrimental effects. Every day, this saves people from tons of agony and headaches. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
6. Enhancing Vehicle Safety
Even if you don’t have a self-driving vehicle, your car uses artificial intelligence. Lane-departure warnings notify a driver if the car has drifted out of its lane. Adaptive cruise control ensures that the car maintains a safe distance while cruising. Automated emergency braking senses when a collision is about to happen and applies the brakes faster than the driver can. - Amy Czuchlewski, Bottle Rocket
7. Converting Handwritten Text To Machine-Readable Code
The post office has tech called “optical character recognition” that converts handwritten text to machine-readable code. Reading handwriting requires human intelligence, but there are machines that can do it, too! Fun fact: This technology was invented in 1914 (yes, you read that right!). So, we experience forms of AI all the time. It’s just a lot trendier now to call it “AI.” - Parry Malm, Phrasee
8. Improving Agriculture Worldwide
Most people don’t think of AI when they eat a meal, but AI is improving agriculture worldwide. Some examples: satellites scanning farm fields to monitor crop and soil health; machine learning models that track and predict environmental impacts, like droughts; and big data to differentiate between plants and weeds for pesticide control. Thank AI for the higher crop yields. - John McDonald, ClearObject
9. Helping Humanitarian Efforts
While we often hear about AI going wrong, it’s doing good things, like guiding humanitarian aid, supporting conservation efforts and helping local government agencies fight droughts. AI always seems to get painted as some sci-fi type of endeavor when really it’s already the framework of many things going on around us all the time. - Alyssa Simpson Rochwerger, Figure Eight
10. Keeping Security Companies Safe From Cyberattacks
AI has become the main way that security companies keep us safe from cyber attacks. Deep learning models run against billions of events each day, identifying threats in ways that were simply unimaginable five years ago. Unfortunately, the bad actors also have access to AI tools, so the cat-and-mouse game continues. - Paul Lipman, BullGuard
11. Improving Video Surveillance Capabilities
In cities, along highways and in neighborhoods, video cameras are proliferating. Federal, state and/or local authorities deploy these devices to monitor traffic and security. In the background, AI-related technologies that include object and facial recognition technologies underpinned by machine and deep learning capabilities speed problem identification, reducing crime and mitigating traffic. - Michael Gurau, Kaiser Associates, Inc.
12. Altering Our Trust In Information
AI will change how we learn and the level of trust we place in information. Deepfakes and the ability to create realistic videos, pictures, text, speech and other forms of communication on which we have long relied to convey information will give rise to concerns about the foundational facts used to inform decision-making in every aspect of life. - Mike Fong, Privoro
