As the human mind evolves, so do its creation. Artificial intelligence commonly abbreviated as AI is the intelligence shown by machines or software. Today's AI is not like the AI depicted in sci-fi movies such as Terminator 2 or 2001 Space Odyssey. Although some of those elements are true, AI is more than just a machine that is capable of sounding like a human.
It is the process of analyzing data and analytics at such a much more rapid pace than a human can, and the ability to provide users, companies, businesses with immediate results within minutes for processes that would have taken months, if not years. It also has the ability to learn to adjust its algorithms based on results that are fed into the system and flagged as incorrect. (Brynjolfsson, 2018)
AI is progressively developing daily and is revolutionizing every area of our life, including healthcare, transportation, and assisting us with our daily tasks. AI is the capability of the machine to imitate intelligence of human behaviors. AI is achieved by mimicking a human brain by understanding how it thinks, learns, and work while trying to solve a problem. "AI is particularly machine learning – that is, the machine's ability to keep improving its performance without humans having to explain exactly how to accomplish all the tasks it's given." (Brynjolfsson, 2018)
AI is revolutionizing healthcare in many ways. Imagine a future where we could analyze your symptoms virtually without having to step foot into a doctor's office, or scan your retina to see if you are susceptible of a heart attack. What once was just an unheard of fictional dream can now be thought of a possible reality within reach, because those are actual use cases in today's technology era. These advance medical breakthroughs are possible with today's AI.
International Business Machines Corporation, better known as IBM, is one of the most innovative companies in AI as of 2017. (Terdiman, 2017) IBM is the brains behind many healthcare discoveries, from creating the first smart computers, to Lasik surgery, and creating online shopping, almost all of IBM's products have been developed to improve our lives. (IBM, 2018) One of IBM greatest achievements is accelerating drug discovery. "It takes bio-techs and pharmaceutical companies 10 years, on average, to bring a new drug to market, according to industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Most experimental drugs never actually make it through to market. IBM Watson for drug discovery is already helping the process." (Speights, 2018) AI improves the sensitive of the scientists, thereby reducing the causes of human errors. Even the smartest scientists struggle to keep up with the sheer volume of new information being generated. AI makes invisible data visible and can process the ever-growing amount of research data available. (Speights, 2018) This technology has remarkable effect on pharmaceutical companies by improving efficiency and quality of new drugs that may potentially save lives.
Additionally, IBM has successfully helped doctors identify appropriate cancer treatments for patients. The sad truth is that Doctors are not perfect, and cancer misdiagnosed is not uncommon. The journal BMJ Quality and Safety estimates that cancer misdiagnosis may occur at rates of up to 28 percent. (Graber, 2013) Take twenty-nine years old Jessica, who was diagnosed with stage 4B Hodgkin's Lymphoma after three years of going misdiagnosed. Jessica had all the symptoms of Lymphoma; but was told that she had allergies and acid reflux by nine different doctors. One day Jessica went into respiratory failure and was admitted to the emergency room, it was then that another doctor diagnosed her with cancer. (DeCristofaro, 2017)
Unfortunately, Jessica's story is very common and happens quite often. With proper testing and diagnosis, doctors would have been able to prevent her cancer from spreading to every organ in her body. (DeCristofaro, 2017) With the help of AI doctors are able to accurately identify the proper diagnosis and treat patients up to 99% more effectively. (Speights, 2018)
Similarly, another amazing breakthrough in the healthcare field is created by Google. Google was also voted as one of the top ten innovated companies in AI as of 2017, (Terdiman, 2017) they developed a way to predict whether you're likely to suffer a major cardiovascular event or stroke within five years, based on a photo of your retina. (Loria, 2018) Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world. (Heart Disease, 2018) With AI, Google can help determine your risks at an early stage, in hopes to change your lifestyle and behavior to promote a healthy heart.
Another form of AI that the majority of America is quite familiar with are digital assistants. Popular digital assistants such as Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google are now becoming our little helpers. With AI we can now text, call, play music, ask questions, operate various things inside our home such as the garage, entertainment system, lights, and security – simply by using our voice. (Feloni, 2018) AI has made our lives easier with voice commands, we can now access a variety of things with little effort. Picture waking up each day with a personal assistant reminding you of all your upcoming meetings and important appointments. As you're getting ready your assistant reads you the news, reports, and social media activity it determined to be most interests to you. (Feloni, 2018) Additionally, new developments in digital assistant have made it easier than ever for the visually-impaired to connect. For example, Gus Chalkias, who once had 20/20 vision, has adjusted to life as a blind person – and that's largely because of assistive tech. (Hester, 2015) Chalkias state that he can now leave his home and not worry about getting lost. With AI incorporated into his digital assistant, the navigation will guide him to his desired destination step by step.
Just ten years ago the concept of a self-driving car may seem futuristic to most people, but that concept has become one of Tesla's most popular innovations. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla introduced the first full self-driving car in 2017. It is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips on its own, with no action required by the person in the driver's seat. The car relies on its hardware, sensor, and cameras to safely drive itself. The car is able to detect the flow of the traffic and will watch speed to traffic conditions, stay within a lane, change lane, getting on and off a freeway, and self-park – all without requiring driver input. (Mccarthy, n.d) Tesla states "All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go. If you don't say anything the car will look at your calendar and take you there as the assumed destination…Tesla will figure out the optimal route, navigate urban streets, manage complex interactions with traffic lights, stop signs and roundabouts." (Dron, 2016) Tesla is able to drop off its passenger and park itself, when you are done with your event or errand, simply tap on the phone app and the Tesla will make its way back to where it dropped you off. AI has achieved super-human performance for capabilities required for driving and is making its way to our roads. (Mccarthy, n.d) According to New York Times, roughly forty thousand people die annually in accidents involving motor vehicles and is increasing by the year. (Boudette, 2017) With the advancement of AI and self-driving cars this may reduce the motor vehicles fatality rates. Most accidents are caused from drivers not paying attention to the roads, because they're distracted from doing other things while driving. "In the US, more than 30,000 people die in traffic-related deaths every year. But self-driving cars could drastically reduce the numbers of accidents helping to save thousands of lives." (Thompson 2016) Aside from reducing the numbers of accidents, self-driving cars consume less fuel, which will reduce CO2 emissions. It also gives the driver the luxury to relax and spend their valuable time for other things besides commuting. (Thompson, 2016)
To summarize, what was once only seen in sci-fi movies is now happening in real life. AI is changing our everyday world and is revolutionizing every area of our life. There are many benefits to AI, it is the brains behind most of our healthcare system. It is helping researchers develop new discoveries to cure diseases. AI has remarkable effect on both the patients and the doctors by improving efficiency and reducing cases of misdiagnosing and human errors. (Speights, 2018) With digital assistance we can control certain things inside our home, call, text, and ask questions – simply by using our voice. It is also helping those with vision impaired by guiding them to their destination. With self-driving cars we can now go to our destination without having to manually drive. We can get dropped off at our location and have the car parked itself and pick us up afterwards. There are many new and exciting things that AI has to offer. AI has achieved mimicking a human brain and is constantly learning and improving its performances to improve our lives. (Brynjolfsson, 2018)