BEHOLD THE ROBOTS: HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS SPEEDILY INFLUENCING TECHNOLOGY

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
Centuries ago, Robots were machines unheard of; innovation unimagined. Centuries and years after, they became machines that could only be seen in movies or within the pages of science fictional books. It became a sort of amusement to mothers and a thing of dread for children. Mothers – especially African mothers – found it easier to scare their young ones just by a mere mention of the word “Masquerade” – a creature they’d found similar to robots in appearance and thus, had conveniently nicknamed robots as that too.
But today, robots are no longer fictional creatures. They are all over the world. They are here. And they are certainly taking over the world- despite the reservations people have about it. Since they are here and are taking over the world, the question should be: “How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) influence technology?”. Before this is answered, a brief origin and definition of Robots and Artificial Intelligence will suffice.
Artificial Intelligence, as defined by Kaplan and Haenlein, is a System’s ability to correctly interpret external data, to learn from such data, and to use those learnings to achieve specific goals and tasks through flexible adaptation. Robots are one example of AI. Thus, robots are machines in different forms developed to replicate human actions and which can be used in many situations and for different purposes. They are usually controlled by a computer program, electronic circuitry or by humans.

USES OF ROBOTS
Robots initially emerged as mere machines that could help in simple tasks, devoid of thoughts and emotions. Today’s robots are more advanced because they can think, feel, love, act and even undertake tasks that are Superior to a human’s capability. With the latest advancements in the field of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence comes into play. AI is being utilized daily to create Robots that are more capable of serving humans better in diverse ways.
In the Customer Service Department, Emotion Recognition through empowered Robots is being utilized to render quality services to customers. In the Human Resource Department, AI powered by Relationship bots are being utilized to decipher the best candidates for specific roles in an Industry. In Medical field, pregnant humanoid robots (such as BirthSim) are employed as a practical method of preparing medical students for various birth complications. They are also utilized in the Administrative section of Medical facilities to dispense drugs as well as perform other administerial duties. The Entertainment Industry isn’t exempted, as more Robots are employed daily to entertain and attract customers, just as they are employed in the Military, Security and Public Service Sector to defuse bombs and go to war.

With these advancements, it is no wonder that AI is foreseen to influence technology in the following ways in the near-future;
 IT Industry – Presently, a few companies are utilizing AI to improve their IT performance through the use of innovations such as Machine Learning, Neural Networks and Natural Language Processing – an innovation which permits machines to analyze and understand human speech and translate to Enterprises for informed decisions.
 Space Travel – AI through robots can now reach places that humans ordinarily can’t. What more, Space travels and explorations to unknown planets and stars can be undertaken without having to risk human life. In the future, AI empowered Robots will govern space programs autonomously.
 Healthcare Sector – AI through empowered Robotic surgeons reduces mortality rates and risks usually associated with major surgeries. This is due to the high degree of precision and efficiency with which the surgeries are carried out. With this, it is foreseen to significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of deadly diseases and thus increase the average human life expectancy.
 Food Industry – The food industry is presently optimizing AI to enhance various offerings, as well as optimizing the operations to render quality services to consumers. The various ways in which it is doing this includes; Weather forecast for transportation of goods purposes, machine learning to detect anomalies in foods, product development for customized food products (such as the coco-cola customized soft drink) as well as other similar cases. In future, it is predicted to greatly reshape the food processing industry.
These are only but a few of how AI will influence technology. The list is endless and the possibilities far between. Of course like every other technology, AI also has its fair share of disadvantages which many have banked on to negate its use. But though accurate predictions cannot be made as to the outcome of implementing this disruptive technology, appropriate measures can be taken to ensure that the implementation of AI will be largely beneficial to man.

Written by Chiamaka Adinnu

She is a food scientist who’s also passionate about writing. As such, she has over 5years experience in high-level research and academic writing, with several awards to her name. A contemporary youth activist and gender advocate, she currently writes for Ananke – a digital platform that seeks to empower young girls and also volunteers with several Non-profit organizations in rendering services to humanity. Chiamaka is also a voracious reader of all things book, in order to make for an informed opinion in her writings. As a long-term goal, she aims to engrave her name in the sands of time through her various writings.