The sum total of the world’s data is evolving at a massively accelerating rate and has refused to stop. Several areas of technology that benefit from this data onslaught include virtual reality, augmented reality and also artificial intelligence (AI). Because of the rate at which these technologies are being developed and used to perform sophisticated functions, many enterprise thought leaders have started wondering what the future of AI will look like in the coming years.
We can say that our lives have experienced some sort of transformation by this already. Our homes’ smart thermostats, the robotic vacuums and the self-driven cars are some of the present wonders of AI. The technology is believed to make significant changes in the health, security, education, entertainment and other aspects of our lives.
But, as this happens, there are also concerns about the design, policy, and the ethical challenges that it will raise in the future. The prediction from technologists is that these challenges will be a significant problem in the future if they are not tackled now. But if the design issues are solved and the policy and ethics aspect streamlined now, then the future of AI will be a great one.
The prediction is that by around 2030, there will be a widespread availability of specialized AI technologies. These are meant to improve the quality of life of man through economic and other means. However, on the flip side of it, there will be a lot of challenges owing to these technologies. Chief of them is the fact that jobs will be hugely affected. This will affect the way incomes are gained and how resources are distributed. So, there should be regulations to ensure that the benefits are shared across the board and to all individuals. This is because if an individual can now own a manufacturing firm, and use AI technology to manufacture and distribute goods, then the entire revenue will revolve around an individual. So, distribution of wealth will suffer here. The major areas to be affected here are employment, security and safety, entertainment, education, healthcare, transportation, etc.
One technologist says the audacious future of AI is based on the changes it will bring into the mobility network or mainly on the internet of physical things. The sentiment is that it will be possible for almost everything to move around in the world, aided by sensors collecting data.
For some technologists, AI will serve to secure us from disasters like traffic accidents and the deaths that occur as a result. The disaster response to such situations will also be improved, e.g. cases like the nuclear meltdown of the Fukushima Power Plant could have been addressed. For him, these will either become our friends who we work hand in hand with, or they will become our enemies who will seek to destroy us.
Others say AI will enhance human life by making things easier for us. Here, AI technology may help humanity to evolve to the next level. This may happen through medical breakthroughs that will happen in the discovery of cures for diseases, getting past the difficulties of space travel and many others. The concept of personalized medicine uses AI to sequence each person’s genome and correlate with medical records. Resources from clinical studies are used to match up individual problems with tailored treatments. For some, AI may provide that solution we have been seeking to combat climate change. The level of information researchers can assimilate, process, and produce on demand makes this possible. AI may also allow us more time to spend with the creative arts. This is because most of the basic tasks that take our time would be taken over by AI.
The fact is that the entire world will be changed by artificial intelligence. But the type and nature of changes may not be entirely clear yet. Nevertheless, it should be a fun ride!
About the Author
Anabel Cooper is a 26-year old editor and writer from Harlow with a deep interest in technology. Though she is not a professional writer, she enjoys writing articles about subjects she is passionate about. Anabel has a master’s degree in Literature and works as a copyreader and news writer in Longman.
Sign up for the free insideAI News newsletter.
Hi Anabel,
Awesome post. In this era of AI and machine learning, this post is very much relevant and I enjoyed the read so much. Thanks for sharing.
It’s interesting to know that by around 2030, there will be a widespread availability of specialized AI technologies to improve the quality of life of man through economic and other means. My brother is interested to know about AI technologies, and I know that he will be excited to read this article. I’ll make sure to share this article with him for him to learn more about AI technology.