18 December 2020 10:00

AI from Netflix, sad Hugo and driverless Tesla: is the world nearing the rise of the machines

Author

Dar Grishenko

Artificial intelligence is believed to be a machine intelligence capable of performing creative functions that are traditionally the prerogative of humans.

But more often AI is defined as the ability of a system to self-learn and solve problems based on the knowledge gained in the learning process.

Example:

a program that creates images (creativity!) by sequentially applying color strokes to a predetermined area based on a well-defined algorithm — this is not AI;
Google Photos function that gives a 3D-effect to your photos, identifies and substitutes without assistance in "memories" photos of people important to you, favorite things and activities — this is AI.

In 1950, the English mathematician Alan Turing proposed a method for determining whether a machine has artificial intelligence by comparing a person and a machine in texting.

If the judge cannot reliably determine which of the interlocutors is a human, the machine is considered to have passed the test.

The most representative use of AI in the home is Netflix.

At the same time, the Turing test doesn’t prove that a machine can think. It only proves that it can choose the correct algorithm to answer a question.

It is interesting that today most chatbots are able to pass the Turing test, but they still do not have full-fledged artificial intelligence.

We already live in a world where AI can be found almost at every turn. Do you use maps when choosing which road to take to get home from work?

Your route is determined by artificial intelligence analyzing traffic congestion, information about accidents and repairs.

Do you use Google Assistant to dictate a letter to a colleague? AI helps you.

Do you have an entertainment device for your pet from the Ukrainian company Petcube at home? This startup uses machine learning and artificial intelligence for its pet detection technology.

Are you taking a picture of your beloved cat on your smartphone and see the inscription "kitten" on the screen? Oh, that artificial intelligence!

The most representative use of AI in the home is Netflix. Once you start using it, it is very difficult to stop, other services seem too complicated, and navigation through them is inconvenient and not obvious.

If you have recognized your feelings—congratulations, Netflix's AI has recognized you too. This company uses highly accurate projection technology based on user reaction, examines your preferences, compares them with the millions of other users’ data and suggests the most interesting films for you.

Every day, Netflix's AI is getting smarter and more accurate in identifying user needs.

Speaking of a more practical AI application, at Rutgers University (USA) a robot was created that can handle the procedure of taking blood from a vein better than qualified medical personnel.

Robot clinical testing showed its efficiency at the level of 87%, while the robot was able to draw blood in 97% of cases.

According to the developers, physicians experience difficulties in taking blood in 27% of cases when drawing blood from patients with poorly visible veins, in 40% of cases in drawing blood from patients with veins’ weak palpation and in 60% of cases with emaciated patients.

In the future, this robot will be able to save a lot of medical time that doctors can spend on saving human lives.

No less impressive examples can be found in Ukraine. For example, in a Kyiv coworking space, a robot Hugo with an interface reflecting the complexities of 2020 was hired as an administrator.

He has already learned to recognize emotions, maintain a conversation, find a free room and order coffee for a guest. In the future, Hugo cobrothers will be able to become consultants in stores or nurses in modern clinics.

However, sometimes an encounter with AI in real life can lead to funny curiosities: recently, the Ukrainian YouTube blogger Yurii Aleksenko posted a video of how the police stopped his Tesla, moving on autopilot while he was in the back seat.

And in this case the video itself is far less interesting than the car that absolutely confidently drives along the Ukrainian roads guided by Google Maps.

Yes, but...

However, humanity's fear of robots has not disappeared anywhere transforming into reasonable fears of technology capabilities misuse. For example, Tesla creator Elon Musk has long considered artificial intelligence to be dangerous.

"We need to be very careful with AI. Potentially it is more dangerous than nuclear weapons," he tweeted in 2014, and has not changed his point of view since then.

Thus, in an interview with The New York Times, he said that he was very concerned about DeepMind developing artificial intelligence for Google.

Musk noted that the essence of the artificial intelligence created in DeepMind is one of those that destroy people in all games.

At the same time, people in Europe are more afraid of the rise of people than the rise of machines. Thus, at the beginning of the year, the European Commission proposed to introduce a five-year moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology in public places.

In the future, Hugo cobrothers will be able to become consultants in stores or nurses in modern clinics.

During this time, the EU wants to find a way to protect citizens from potential misuse, ensure privacy and protect personal information.

However, Microsoft President Brad Smith takes the opposite view. He believes that this technology has more benefits than harm because it can be used not only to detect criminals, but also to find missing children.

What's next?

Now one thing is clear — artificial intelligence cannot be stopped. It will evolve, bringing ever more benefits to humanity and causing more and more fears. However, most of these fears in practice turn out to be much more serious than real problems.

So, for a long time it was believed that industrialization and robotization would deprive a person of work.

However, this theory has not been confirmed. Today for 1 robot performing "human" work, there are from 1 to 5 people of service personnel. And CAPTCHA still stops bots from trying to fill websites and forums with kilotons of machine text.