From ChatGPT to the latest and greatest learning systems, artificial intelligence continues to advance, both in scope and sophistication. There is even a forthcoming “AI Appreciation Day” (held on July 16th, 2023). Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day celebrates the positive achievements of A.I. technology to humanity while also shining a spotlight on A.I. ethics and to inspire a national dialogue on A.I. and ethics.
To understand what is happening in the field, Digital Journal canvassed some of the leaders across the tech industry in terms of AI’s rapid evolution this year and its future for the world.
False expectations
Are the public expecting too much from the current developments with AI? Possibly says Vrushali Prasade, Co-founder & Co-CTO at Pixis.
According to Prasade: “In my opinion, AI is sometimes undervalued as a result of the overhype behind more publicly popular tools. The lack of proper education and awareness around AI has led the public to create false expectations. Consider AI as a heightened form of logical reasoning. Understanding its true power – what it can do, how it can be used, etc. – will help to better manage what should be feasible in terms of expectations or possibilities for projects. AI can only generate outcomes based on input by humans, which is why having the right intent to ensure correct application is crucial.”
In the future
AI today will be different to AI tomorrow and AI in a few years’ time will be even more sophisticated, such is the rapid pace of development.
Dan LeBlanc, CEO at Daasity explains: “AI has proven to impact our lives significantly already, but we’re only just getting started. In 5 years, it will cut across more parts of the business beyond marketing copy and images – most likely in the customer service space, helping us track processes and finding out when there are issues with our processes.”
LeBlanc adds: “We will start to see the need for fewer data engineers to manage data but will need more analysts to interpret the data. We will find that we need fewer people to manage a process but more people to ensure the AI is working and more people to interpret the results to make our businesses more efficient.”
Wither low code?
Matt Durham, Head of Market Strategy at Digibee looks at coding: “There is some discourse within the developer communities as to whether AI can automate, or perhaps entirely eradicate, low-code development. The notion that AI can turn low-code into no-code implies that low-code is for non-developers. Many low-code platforms specifically serve professional coders. Low-code can be a way to attract non-technical (or substantially less technical) talent, but fundamentally low-code tools and platforms increase productivity and reduce errors, important realities for engineers. While AI can help boost low-code efforts, the idea that it can completely wipe out an entire method of development, and in turn take novice developers to pros, is fundamentally incorrect.”
Disrupting commerce
The way consumers interact with digital services offering goods (and other services) is going through rapid change and AI will accelerate this, says Eradj Khaidarov, Chief Technology Officer at IrisCX.
Mapping this out, Khaidarov explains: “Generative AI is spearheading a new frontier of accessibility in customer experience. We’re seeing emerging CX technologies using AI as a tool to support more people in a more efficient and streamlined manner, enabling greater access to the expert support they may be seeking. At IrisCX, we’re using AI to create brief summaries after customer calls to ensure no details get lost in translation, and the most important or pressing aspects from that conversation are automatically highlighted for the expert’s review post-call. Paired with a user-friendly interface, generative AI tools are helping eliminate barriers to entry (complicated registrations, external apps, etc.) for more positive customer experiences.”
Changing society for the good
AI can be put to positive use for the betterment of society, observes Kelly Coplin, Head of Product at Ceres Imaging.
Coplin’s vision is: “Technological advancements in remote sensing and precision agriculture have generated massive, global datasets reflecting crop health and management practices. These datasets are the fuel that powers AI’s application to the agricultural industry. By combining the outputs of AI with traditional techniques, agricultural businesses can optimize water, chemical, and fertilizer application efficiency while protecting crop yields and improving farm management. AI is playing a vital role in easing the global food crisis by helping agricultural businesses maximize productivity while improving the sustainability of their operations.”