Machine Learning For Dummies. John Paul Mueller
Overcoming AI Fantasies
As with many other technologies, AI and machine learning both have their fantasy or fad uses. For example, some people are using machine learning to create Picasso-like art from photos using products like NightCafé (https://creator.nightcafe.studio/), which supports people who really enjoy this art form. You can read all about using machine learning to create art at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2015/08/31/this-algorithm-can-create-a-new-van-gogh-or-picasso-in-just-an-hour/. Of course, the problems with such use are many. For one thing, most people wouldn’t really want a Picasso created in this manner except as a fad item (because no one had done it before). The point of art isn’t in creating an interesting interpretation of a particular real-world representation, but rather in seeing how the artist interpreted it. The end of the article points out that the computer can only copy an existing style at this stage — not create an entirely new style of its own. The following sections discuss AI and machine learning fantasies of various sorts.
Discovering the fad uses of AI and machine learning
AI is entering an era of innovation that you used to read about only in science fiction. It can be hard to determine whether a particular AI use is real or simply the dream child of a determined scientist. For example, The Six Million Dollar Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Six_Million_Dollar_Man) is a television series that looked fanciful at one time. When it was introduced, no one actually thought that we’d have real-world bionics at some point. However, Hugh Herr (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/future-robotic-legs-180953040/) and others (https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/using-onboard-ai-to-power-quicker-more-complex-prosthetic-hands) have other ideas — bionic legs and arms really are possible now. Of course, they aren’t available for everyone yet; the technology is only now becoming useful. Muddying the waters is The Six Billion Dollar Man movie, based partly on The Six Million Dollar Man television series (https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Mark-Wahlberg-Six-Billion-Dollar-Man-Just-Made-Big-Change-91947.html), which has suffered delays for various reasons (https://screenrant.com/mark-wahlberg-six-billion-dollar-man-delays-updates/). The fact is that AI and machine learning will both present opportunities to create some amazing technologies and that we’re already at the stage of creating those technologies, but you still need to take what you hear with a huge grain of salt.
One of the more interesting uses of machine learning for entertainment purposes is the movie B (https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2548939/one-sci-fi-movie-will-be-able-to-film-during-the-pandemic-thanks-to-casting-an-ai-robot-as-its-lead), which stars an android named Erica. The inventors of Erica, Hiroshi Ishiguro and Kohei Ogawa, have spent a great deal of time trying to make her lifelike by trying to implement the human qualities of intent and desire (https://www.yoichimatsuyama.com/conversation-with-evolving-robotic-species-interview-with-hiroshi-ishiguro/). The result is something that encroaches on the uncanny valley (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-uncanny-valley-human-look-alikes-put-us-on-edge/) in a new way. The plot of this movie will be on the same order as Ex Machina (https://www.indiewire.com/2020/06/ex-machina-real-robot-erica-science-fiction-movie-1234569484/).
Considering the true uses of AI and machine learning
You find AI and machine learning used in a great many applications today. The only problem is that the technology works so well that you don’t know that it even exists. In fact, you might be surprised to find that many devices in your home already make use of both technologies. Both technologies definitely appear in your car and most especially in the workplace. In fact, the uses for both AI and machine learning number in the millions — all safely out of sight even when they’re quite dramatic in nature. Here are just a few of the ways in which you might see AI used:
Fraud detection: You get a call from your credit card company asking whether you made a particular purchase. The credit card company isn’t being nosy; it’s simply alerting you to the fact that someone else could be making a purchase using your card. The AI embedded within the credit card company’s code detected an unfamiliar spending pattern and alerted someone to it.
Resource scheduling: Many organizations need to schedule the use of resources efficiently. For example, a hospital may have to determine where to put a patient based on the patient’s needs, availability of skilled experts, and the amount of time the doctor expects the patient to be in the hospital.
Complex analysis: Humans often need help with complex analysis because there are literally too many factors to consider. For example, the same set of symptoms could indicate more than one problem. A doctor or other expert might need help making a diagnosis in a timely manner to save a patient’s life.
Automation: Any form of automation can benefit from the addition of AI to handle unexpected changes or events. A problem with some types of automation today is that an unexpected event, such as an object in the wrong place, can actually cause the automation to stop. Adding AI to the automation can allow the automation to handle unexpected events and continue as if nothing happened.
Customer service: The customer service line you call today may not even have a human behind it. The automation is good enough to follow scripts and use various resources to handle the vast majority of your questions. With good voice inflection (provided by AI as well), you may not even be able to tell that you’re talking with a computer.
Safety systems: Many of the safety systems found in machines of various sorts today rely on AI to take over the vehicle in a time of crisis. For example, many automatic braking systems rely on AI to stop the car based on all the inputs that a vehicle can provide, such as the direction of a skid.
Machine efficiency: AI can help control a machine in such a manner as to obtain maximum efficiency. The AI controls the use of resources so that the system doesn’t overshoot speed or other goals. Every ounce of power is used precisely as needed to provide the desired services.
This list doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. You can find AI used in many other ways. However, it’s also useful to view uses of machine learning outside the normal realm that many consider the domain