What is artificial intelligence and how is it used?

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - It is often heard that artificial intelligence is the technology of the future. But what exactly is artificial intelligence and how does it already affect our lives?

Definition of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the ability of a device to imitate human activities such as reasoning, learning, planning, and creativity.

Artificial intelligence enables technical systems to perceive their environment, take into account what they see, and solve problems to achieve a goal. A computer receives data (which is already prepared or collected using its own sensors, e.g. cameras), processes it, and provides answers.

Artificial intelligence systems can adapt their behaviour to some extent by analysing previous situations and working independently.

Why is artificial intelligence important?

Some artificial intelligence technologies have been around for more than 50 years, but advances in computing power, the availability of vast amounts of data, and new algorithms have led to major breakthroughs in artificial intelligence in recent years.

Artificial intelligence is considered key to the digital transformation of society and has become an EU priority.

Artificial intelligence is predicted to bring about enormous changes in the future, but it is already present in our daily lives.

Types of artificial intelligence

Software: virtual assistants, image analysis software, search engines, speech and facial recognition systems. "Embedded" artificial intelligence: robots, autonomous cars, drones, the Internet of Things.

Artificial intelligence in everyday life

In some situations, we are not even aware that certain services are enabled by artificial intelligence.

Online shopping and advertising

Artificial intelligence is widely used to provide personalized recommendations, for example, based on previous searches and purchases or other forms of online behaviour. Artificial intelligence is extremely important in retail, for product optimization, inventory planning, logistics, etc.

Internet search

Search engines learn from the vast input of data from their users to provide relevant search results.

Digital personal assistants

Smartphones use artificial intelligence to provide the most relevant and personalized product possible. Virtual assistants that answer questions, give recommendations, and help organize daily tasks have become ubiquitous.

Machine translation

Artificial intelligence-powered translation software provides and improves translations. This also applies to functions such as automatic subtitling.

Smart homes, cities, and infrastructure

Smart thermostats learn from our behaviour to save energy, and developers hope to regulate traffic in smart cities to improve connectivity and reduce congestion.

Cars

Although autonomous vehicles are not yet standard, cars already use artificial intelligence-based safety features. The EU, for example, has helped finance the VI-DAS system, automated sensors that detect potentially dangerous situations and accidents.

Navigation is largely based on artificial intelligence.

Cybersecurity

Artificial intelligence systems can help identify and combat cyberattacks and other cyber threats based on continuous data input, pattern recognition, and attack monitoring.

Artificial intelligence and COVID-19

In the case of COVID-19, artificial intelligence is used in thermal imaging at airports and elsewhere, while in medicine it can help identify infections using lung CT scans. It is also used to monitor the spread of the disease.

Fighting disinformation

Certain applications can detect fake news and disinformation by collecting information on social networks, looking for sensational or alarming words, and identifying authoritative sources.

Other examples of artificial intelligence use

Artificial intelligence can transform almost every aspect of life and the economy. Here are some examples.

Health

Scientists are exploring how to use artificial intelligence to analyze large amounts of health data and find patterns that could lead to new discoveries in medicine and improve individual diagnostics.

For example, researchers have developed an emergency call answering program that recognizes cardiac arrest faster and more often than medical dispatchers. Another example is KConnect, co-funded by the EU, which is developing a multilingual search service to help find the most relevant medical information.

Transport

Artificial intelligence could improve the safety, speed, and efficiency of rail transport by reducing wheel friction, increasing speed, and enabling autonomous driving.

Manufacturing

Artificial intelligence can help European manufacturers become more efficient and bring factories back to Europe by using robots in production, optimizing supply chains, or predicting maintenance and failures in smart factories in a timely manner.

SatisFactory, an EU-funded research project, uses a collaborative and augmented reality system to increase job satisfaction in smart factories.

Food and agriculture

Artificial intelligence can be used to build the EU's sustainable food system: it can ensure healthier food by reducing the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation; help increase productivity and reduce environmental impact. Robots can remove weeds, reducing, for example, the use of herbicides.

Many farms across the EU are already using artificial intelligence to monitor animal movement, temperature, and feed consumption.

Public administration and services

Thanks to a wide range of data and pattern recognition, artificial intelligence could provide early warnings of natural disasters and enable effective preparation and mitigation.

As many as 61% of Europeans have a positive view of artificial intelligence and robots, but 88% say these technologies need to be carefully managed (Eurobarometer 2017, EU28).