Artificial Intelligence undoubtedly remains a very important and widely discussed branch of science in technology and most business processes. With a glance around how fast the world of technology is evolving, we can agree that Artificial Intelligence is not the future as most experts and analysts argue, but the present.

What Is Artificial Intelligence?

Simply put, Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the branch of computer sciences that underlines the advancement of intelligence devices, designed to function like humans. e.g, speech recognition, problem-solving, learning, and planning. In other words, AI can be applied to any machine that is programmed to mimic and exhibit traits associated with the human mind.

Technology never ceases to advance. We can attest that AI is fast becoming a part of our lives in one way or the other. Although the technology is in its initial phase, several companies are investing time and resources in machine learning which spells a wider adoption of the cutting edge technology, and a great boost to AI products and applications in the near future.

How Does AI work?

Most people are accustomed to relating robots to the term "Artificial Intelligence". This is as a result of Sci-Fi movies and novels that often weave stories of human-like machines doing the most in the world. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Artificial intelligence is a branch of science based on the tenet that basic human intelligence can be interpreted in a way that human-like machines can easily mimic and carry out tasks with, from the most simple to even more problematic. The end game of AI includes learning, reasoning, and understanding.

Artificial Intelligence is constantly evolving to the benefit of various industries. As the technology advances, many industries see the need to employ AI in their processes. Machines are built using a cross-disciplinary approach using mathematics, computer science, linguistics, psychology, and other branches of intelligence as a base.

Algorithms often play a very significant role in the makeup of artificial intelligence, where simple algorithms are utilized in simple applications, while more complex ones help to frame strong artificial intelligence.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence

There is practically no limit to the applications of artificial intelligence. The revolutionary technology can be applied to various sectors and industries. AI is being explored, tested, and used in the healthcare industry for dosing drugs,  treating patients, and also for surgical procedures.

Other examples of machines with artificial intelligence include computers that play chess and self-driving autos.

Artificial intelligence is also being employed in the financial sector, where it is used to effectively detect and flag different activities in banking and finance such as unusual debit card usage and large deposits. All of which help curb fraudulent actions.

Applications for AI are also being used to help simplify and make trading easier. This is achieved by making the supply, demand, and pricing of securities a lot easier to estimate.

Categorization of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be split up into two different categories:

Weak

Weak artificial intelligence embodies a system designed to roll out just one particular task.

Weak AI systems include video games such as the chess I mentioned earlier and personal assistants such as Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri.

Strong

Strong artificial intelligence systems are systems that carry out the human-like tasks considered to be human-like. These tend to be more complex and complicated systems.

They are wired to handle situations in which they may be required to problem solve without the intervention of any person.

These kinds of AI systems can be found in applications like self-driving vehicles or hospital surgical rooms.

While there are countless benefits associated with AI, the technology has been under scrutiny from a good number of scientists. As believed by many, machines could make humans irrelevant at some point if they continue advancing at this pace. Humans are likely not to keep up and might exit the space for machines.

Another common theme idea is that machines can hack into people's privacy and even be weaponized. There's been a rising debate over the years about the ethics of artificial intelligence and whether intelligent systems such as robots should be given the same rights as humans.

Above all, many people consider artificial intelligence an effective way to increase unemployment in the near future. With many industries looking to automate certain jobs through AI systems, there's a rising concern that many people would be laid off from the workforce. For example, self-driving autos may reduce the need for taxis and car-share programs. Other industries and manufacturers may easily replace human labor with intelligent machinery, making human skill almost irrelevant.

Conclusion: Artificial Intelligence will keep advancing. With more industries seeing the need to employ the leading-edge technology, wider adoption is imminent. While speculations have it that intellect machinery may displace humans, it is almost impossible to picture such a scenario. Should such a thing spring up, humans can make as well as mar the machines in question.