It seems every time we turn on the news, there’s a mention of artificial intelligence – or AI. Tech Tips will discuss AI in our next couple of articles to help you understand what AI is and how it’s used.
What is AI?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a computer program that answers questions and finds similarities or differences. AI systems are based on math, not human-like thinking, and are fed vast amounts of information that train it to recognize patterns.
AI uses these patterns to perform tasks such as predicting products we might like based on previous purchases. It suggests new shows on streaming services similar to those we’ve already viewed. When we ask Siri or Alexa to place a call on our phones or to find the weather forecast, AI is the computer program that completes our requests.
How Does AI work?
Here’s an example of AI at work. Say you enjoy watching mystery shows on Netflix. When you finish watching Foyle’s War or Murder She Wrote, the Netflix AI system scans your user ID and recommends a similar show, noting your pattern of watching mysteries.
Shopping sites do the same. If you order the same brand of vitamins from Amazon every six weeks, Amazon will show you ads for that product or even ask if you would like to subscribe for an automatic delivery every six weeks.
So, Can AI Think for Itself or Make Independent Decisions?
AI doesn’t think independently and can’t make its own decisions. AI is just a computer program that uses the information fed into it to make tasks easier or to flag problems based on whether we are following a set pattern of behaviour. Your private information stays private.
If the system identifies that someone is trying to use a stolen credit card or that their behaviour is unusual (like using it in two different cities on the same day), it denies payment and notifies the bank and the customer. The beauty of AI is that this happens almost instantly and the majority of fraud is stopped.
Why Do Some People Say AI is Dangerous?
The biggest fear seems to be, “What if AI becomes smarter than humans?”
Professor Yann LeCun, who is at the forefront of AI innovation, said in an interview with the BBC that some experts’ fear of AI posing a threat to humanity were “preposterously ridiculous.”
He says we are at the same stage as aviation manufacturers when, in 1930, people worried about the idea of jumbo jets before they had even been engineered.
“Turbo jets were eventually made incredibly reliable and safe,” and he said the same would happen with AI.
Do We Have to Use AI?
You don’t have to use AI, although your services may already use it. For example, your bank may use AI to protect you against fraud. Just be sure to use passwords that no one can guess.
Some AI tools can help you with tasks like typing a letter, organizing your photos or setting up deliveries. Next month, we’ll show you how to use AI. A little knowledge can go a long way toward feeling safer online.
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