What is Artificial Intelligence & What Role Will It Play in Society?

Artificial intelligence is one of the most exciting modern-day advancements in the realms of technology, with its capabilities continuing to advance beyond comprehension. With the importance of AI ever increasing, it is vital to understand how this revolutionary form of technology will undoubtedly shape society and life forevermore. Here at The AI Speakers Agency, we are experts in the field of artificial intelligence, and our roster of speakers confidently explore what can be expected in the future of artificial intelligence. Read our guide to what artificial intelligence is and what role it will play in society, below.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is a fascinating field of technology, admired for the way in which it can mimic human intelligence. Using detailed algorithms of machine learning, artificial intelligence studies data to produce outcomes that both mirror the intelligence and creativity of humankind. Widely regarded as the father of artificial intelligence, Alan Turing began the AI revolution with his seminal work Computing Machinery and Intelligence, and his speculations that “thinking machines” could level the reasoning of a human being.

Since Alan Turing’s first concept of AI, John McCarthy is highly regarded for introducing the term artificial intelligence, having introduced the revolutionary concept of machines thinking autonomously.

Artificial intelligence is defined as “computers and machines that can reason, learn, and act in such a way that would normally require human intelligence or that involves data whose scale exceeds what humans can analyse”.

Source: IBM, The Brookings Institute & Google

“At its most basic, AI is software that mimics and generates human behaviours – planning, generating ideas, understanding speech and visuals. Its ability to scale human intellect will have a profound impact.” – Sulabh, Chief AI Officer, Deloitte Consulting

What are the Four Main Types of Artificial Intelligence?

With artificial intelligence’s ability to emulate human intelligence, the degree to which it can replicate human intelligence defines the type of AI it is. There are four types of AI and AI-based systems, which are:

• Reactive – This form of artificial intelligence has no memory, and only responds to specific tasks or stimuli. It is the oldest form of AI, and is only really used to respond to limited inputs due to the fact that it cannot use memory to improve its capabilities.
• Limited Memory – This form of artificial intelligence uses memory to both learn and improve its response to tasks. Nearly all forms of AI we use today come under this specification, storing data in their memory to improve their abilities in mimicking human intelligence.
• Theory of Mind – This form of AI exists only as a concept at this present moment, with AI experts avidly engaged in making the concept a reality. Such AI will be able to understand interactions by judging emotions, needs, thought processes and beliefs. It is a form of AI that will essentially understand humans.
• Self-Aware – This will be the final stage of AI development, a hypothetical form of AI that will have developed self-awareness, being able to express emotion, needs and beliefs. This form of artificial intelligence is centuries away from being a reality.

Source: Forbes

How Does Artificial Intelligence Work?

Artificial intelligence is powered by machine learning and deep learning, a complex network of data sets and processing algorithms that allow AI to learn and mimic human intelligence.

Machine Learning:

Machine learning allows AI to be fed data, and then use statistical techniques to discover patterns in the data and improve its knowledge. AI algorithms are trained to make classifications and predictions, uncovering key insights in data that drive decision-making. The term machine learning was conceptualised by Arthur Samuel in 1959, who defined it as:

“The field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without explicitly being programmed.”

Machine learning algorithms allow artificial intelligence to imitate human intelligence, from the way that humans learn to their creativity. The process of machine learning ultimately allows artificial intelligence to gradually improve its accuracy to become more human-like.

Deep Learning:

Deep learning is a kind of machine learning, in which artificial intelligence uses neural networks to process information. Deep learning allows artificial intelligence to process, learn from and improve data, and thus find results to human inputs. Neural networks mimic human neural networks, networks that in the human brain process information. Deep learning is a very important component of AI, as it allows artificial intelligence to stimulate the human brain.

Source: Forbes, IBM & Stanford University

If you want to learn more about machine learning or deep learning, why not hire one of our expert machine learning speakers today?

What are the Differences Between Narrow, General and Super AI?

Narrow Artificial Intelligence:

Narrow artificial intelligence, also known as ANI, is AI that already exists in society today. It is programmed to perform a single task, responding to that task in real-time and pulling information from specific data sets. ANI operates via the use of pre-determined and pre-defined ranges, and technology such as Google Translate and Siri are examples of narrow AI already present in society. It is often referred to as ‘weak AI’.

General Artificial Intelligence:

General artificial intelligence are more sophisticated forms of AI, and are able to exhibit emulations of human intelligence. Otherwise known as AGI, this form of AI can perform any intellectual task that humankind can, such as solving problems and being imaginative or creative.

Super Artificial Intelligence:

This type of artificial intelligence is one that is expected to exceed the capabilities of human beings. They will be able to perfectly mimic human creativity, problem-solving and general wisdom – and this is the form of artificial intelligence that many people fear will replace humanity. Super artificial intelligence was defined by AI expert Professor Nick Bostrom as “any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains”.

Source: Medium

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race… It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.” – Stephen Hawking

What Forms of Artificial Intelligence Exist Already?

Artificial intelligence is all around us, and every day we interact with more forms of AI than we are aware of!

Some forms of AI already used in society are:

• Self-driving & parking vehicles
• Vehicle recognition identification (number plate recognition and traffic systems)
• Digital assistants (Siri, Alexa, Cortana etc.)
• Robot vacuums
• Face detection & recognition
• Chatbots
• Search & recommendation algorithms

Source: Adobe

What Role Will AI Continue to Play in Society?

Artificial intelligence has already shaped many aspects of life and will continue to do so for many years to come. With its innate ability to mimic human intelligence, artificial intelligence will have vast implications for society, including enhancing productivity, increasing access to education, improving healthcare, solving complex problems and making day-to-day life simpler. AI will also significantly impact the world of work, taking over repetitive or dangerous tasks that will allow humans to focus on roles that demand increased creativity.

There are many pros of artificial intelligence, and will undoubtedly empower humans for many years to come. In some aspects, they exceed the abilities of humans, such as the fact that they can operate 24/7 without getting tired, the speed at which they can analyse data and the minimal errors that they create. However, there are also cons to using AI, such as its lack of creativity, its effect on employment and automation of jobs performed by humans and the ethical implications of AI.

AI has the possibility to vastly improve our quality of life, but also has the potential to have lasting negative effects on society too.

Source: Forbes

“Artificial intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029. Follow that out further to say 2045, we will have multiplied the intelligence, the human biological machine intelligence of our civilization a billion-fold.” – Ray Kurzweil

How Can I Learn More About Artificial Intelligence?

A fantastic way to learn more about artificial intelligence and the impact it will continue to have on society is by hiring an artificial intelligence speaker! Here at The AI Speakers Agency, we work with world-leading experts on artificial intelligence, who detail everything from the ethical implications of AI to exciting developments in the field such as generative AI and ChatGPT.

Who are the Top 5 Speakers to Hire on Artificial Intelligence?

Kay Firth-Butterfield –

Executive Director of the Centre for Trustworthy Technology and the first Head of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning for the World Economic Forum

Hire Kay Firth-Butterfield for an expert speech on ethical AI!

Geoffrey Hinton –

The former Vice President and Engineering Fellow of Google, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto and founding Director of the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at UCL.

Hire Geoffrey Hinton for an insightful speech on machine learning and the dangers of artificial intelligence!

Yann LeCun –

The Vice President & Chief AI Scientist for Meta, former Director of AI Research for Facebook.

Hire Yann LeCun to share his expertise on artificial intelligence backed by his credible career working for social media giant, Facebook!

Allie Miller –

The former Global Head of Machine Learning, Business Development, Startups & Venture Capital for Amazon Web Services

Hire Allie Miller to learn how she dominated the industry as an expert in machine learning!

Nina Schick –

The author of the World’s first book on generative AI – DEEPFAKES: The Coming Infocalypse, creator of the Era of Generative AI and Founder of Tamang Ventures.

Hire Nina Schick today to learn about the future of generative AI, a leading pioneer of the generative AI revolution!

How Can I Hire an Artificial Intelligence Speaker?

Hiring a speaker could not be easier with The AI Speakers Agency! To enquire about booking one of our expert artificial intelligence speakers, simply call one of our booking agents on 0203 4109897 to discuss your requirements, or alternatively complete our online contact form. Don’t miss your opportunity to learn all there is to know about AI with one of our insightful and engaging artificial intelligence keynote speakers.