When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), we’re at an inflection point. The technology is maturing quickly and moving from laboratory prototype to consumer product at record speed, changing many aspects of our daily lives in the process.
While much of the public conversation has focused on AI’s invasive potential, it is important to remember that this technology is a tool that can be used for good or bad. AI can enable businesses to be more efficient and improve customer experiences, while also helping companies to detect patterns and risks that humans might miss. It can streamline workflows and reduce human workload, freeing people to focus on more creative, high-value tasks. It can prevent cybersecurity breaches and identify dangerous or suspicious activities that could threaten the safety of employees, patients or customers.
It can help teachers customize and adapt curriculum, fostering student engagement and success, and identifying students at risk of falling behind. It can create visuals that are more engaging, allowing marketers to tell stories with greater impact and creating immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences. It can identify and analyze data quickly, helping business leaders to make informed decisions and accelerate growth. It can support medical diagnosis and treatment by recognizing and interpreting complex patterns in patient data. It can even drive cars, optimize routes and navigate unfamiliar territory.
Some believe we’re close to unlocking what’s called “artificial general intelligence” — a sci-fi technology capable of tackling any task that a human can. Others have set their sights on something more ambitious, envisioning an intelligent system that would possess what’s known as a theory of mind, understanding emotions, beliefs and intentions in humans, and making empathetic decisions.