The Impact of AI

Artificial intelligence and machine learning seem to be taking over everything these days. As a tech enthusiast and developer, I find the rapid evolution of technology both thrilling and overwhelming. It's a testament to the relentless march of innovation and the ongoing challenge to keep up. But there's no denying the monumental impact AI is having across industries as software continues advancing.

In this post, we'll explore some of the major ways our new robot overlords (I kid, I kid) are revolutionising various business sectors.

Transportation

A flying car in the future powered by AI

Self-driving cars are probably what most people think of when it comes to AI and transportation. As brilliant as auto-pilot sounds after being stuck in rush hour traffic for the third time this week, Tesla reminds drivers they still have to pay attention to the road. But experts predict nearly all vehicles will be autonomous within the next couple decades.

Beyond the invasion of robot drivers though, AI is improving transportation in other ways like optimising traffic signals to reduce congestion and analysing hazards along travel routes. Machine learning and sensors embedded throughout infrastructure promise to make all our journeys faster, cheaper, greener and safer. I can already envision the transportation utopia I’ll enjoy during my retirement years. Here’s hoping George Jetson was onto something!

Healthcare

A doctor using AI software in the future

AI is driving major healthcare advances as well, from processing radiology scans faster than expert physicians to providing medical advice chatbots and analysing health data to optimise treatments. I’ll admit some applications like robot surgeons, AI pharmacists and computer-created gene therapy still seem a little sci-fi terrifying to me personally. But many brilliant minds argue AI will make healthcare far more effective and affordable for everyone, so machines prescribing your medication someday might not be such a bad thing after all. Beyond direct patient applications, AI can aid enormously in clinical trial recruitment, billing automation, record keeping and rapid vaccine development as well.

Entertainment

AI impression of AI assisted entertainment

In the past, TV and movies could feel pretty stale to me unless I randomly stumbled onto something compelling. My tastes never lined up with what critics claimed was outstanding. But since AI recommendation algorithms analyse my viewing behaviour and suggest new titles I am highly likely to enjoy, I’ve become far more engaged with media of all kinds. The entertainment world now has something exciting for everyone thanks to AI personalisation.
Beyond superior recommendations though, AI storytelling bots can craft fairly convincing original poems and short stories too, even if their creativity circuitry still has some development ahead. Given trends so far however, AI likely produces a Netflix hit humans love within the decade. We’ll have algorithms to thank for the next Stranger Things or Breaking Bad binge.

Finance

An image of AI powered financial software

Managing investments or securing loans used to require hours of number crunching analysis to identify opportunities or determine qualifications. New algorithms far surpass human capacity for processing mountains of market or consumer credit data to optimise decisions. And AI fraud detection helps protect against identify threats or phoney transactions which seemed increasingly common. As long as nuclear codes (yes I'm looking at you SkyNet) remain firmly in human hands, I welcome our new artificial intelligence finance overlords. After all, who couldn’t use more profitable investments and lower rate loans!

Cybersecurity

With data breaches running rampant, applying AI to cybersecurity efforts is imperative for keeping information safe. AI can instantly detect network intrusion attempts, malware infections or anomalous user behaviour and respond faster than human security teams. By continuously monitoring for threats and adapting to new attack tactics, AI promises an active defence system against hacking. AI in cybersecurity can also help verify identities to prevent unauthorised access, encrypt sensitive information so it is unusable for criminals who do manage to steal it, and automatically patch vulnerabilities as they are discovered. And looking forward, AI may even be able to predict attacks before they happen by recognising early indicators. Artificial intelligence is critical for locking down defences in the ongoing cyberwar.

Agriculture

An AI powered drone looking after crops

This domain touches every human alive through a basic need to eat. Feeding billions of people nutritious, affordable food demands hyper efficient farming on a global scale. AI and advanced software help make that possible through monitoring crop and soil health, determining optimal harvest times, identifying resource deficiencies, controlling disease outbreaks, scheduling precision irrigation, coordinating robotic pickers, minimising waste across distribution networks right down to local grocery inventory levels. Technology will prove essential for avoiding mass starvation as the world population swells by billions in the coming decades. Self-driving tractors may sound silly with today’s technology, but autonomous farm equipment will help feed tomorrow’s mouths.

Education

A girl studying using AI and Augmented Reality

At all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, public sectors are adopting AI for everything from municipal transportation planning to judicial sentencing recommendations to congressional policy analysis. The algorithms ingest mountains of data to spot useful patterns and generate optimisation insights beyond what any human team could produce.

Looking forward, we will likely see increasing reliance on AI for administrative agency decisions, public resource allocation, smart city infrastructure automation, benefits fraud detection, public safety, tax optimisations and more. Given the massive complexities involved in running society smoothly, AI assistance will be critical for serving citizens and keeping nations economically competitive.

Human Resources

AI is totally transforming human resources departments through applicant tracking systems, employee management platforms and automated assistants. Algorithms can screen thousands of resumes and select the most qualified candidates for open positions in seconds based on historical data correlations. This allows focusing recruitment efforts only on people nearly guaranteed to succeed if hired.

Once employees join companies, AI performance management systems guide training, identify high-flyers to promote, suggest productivity optimisations and even provide mental health support. Chatbots serve as initial points of contact for answering employee questions before they need to speak with a manager. And predictive analytics anticipate staffing needs to minimise turnover costs. AI is critical for maximising workplace productivity.

Revolutionary Change

As this overview illustrates, intelligent software is driving revolutionary change across practically every industry imaginable. And as algorithms grow more advanced in the coming years, AI adoption will only accelerate. Nearly every domain of business and society stands to realise tremendous efficiency, quality, revenue and innovation improvements from integrating artificial intelligence into operations. The technology paradigm shift is inevitable, and those who embrace AI early will have a competitive advantage. Any business leader or government executive failing to invest in artificial intelligence risks obsolescence as progress inevitably marches forward at the hands of software.

Tom Hankin

Full-Stack Developer and AI Engineer, dedicated to transforming business through bespoke AI integration and innovative software solutions.

The Impact of AI: How Software is Driving Change in Every Industry

Tom Hankin

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