First, let's look at the current state of artificial intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence Moves into the Era of Machine Learning and Deep Learning
The development of artificial intelligence started surprisingly long ago, in the 1950s. And now we are in what has been called the third AI boom, which began around 2013.
Today, with the development of the web and big data, we have access to large amounts of data. The fact that artificial intelligence can now learn more data is the background of the third AI boom. In addition, artificial intelligence has become more practical because it can now perform machine learning and deep learning.
Typical Artificial Intelligence Themes
Typical themes in artificial intelligence include inference and search and expert systems. Reasoning and search is the process of expressing and executing a thought process in an enterprise or exploring a hierarchy of possible possibilities to derive a goal.
Inference and search have been used since the 1950s, when artificial intelligence was first developed. At that time, only very simple things could be processed, but today it is often possible to process even with respect to multiple intertwined factors.
Expert systems are those that incorporate knowledge from specialized fields and make inferences. They were developed primarily in the 1980s. When asked a question, they can respond according to predefined rules. However, they can only respond to questions related to specific fields. For example, in the field of medicine, a typical example would be the diagnosis of a disease.
Machine learning and deep learning are the main themes in the recent development of artificial intelligence and have been attracting a lot of attention.
In machine learning, knowledge and rules are found and learned from big data. For example, it can recommend products based on purchasing data. There is no need for humans to set up detailed rules.
Deep learning is based on the neutral network of the human brain. Artificial intelligence acquires necessary knowledge by itself.
Examples of Artificial Intelligence Applications
Currently, artificial intelligence is already being used in a variety of situations. Examples include automated driving, outdoor surveillance cameras, lung cancer detection, and cooking robots.
Outdoor surveillance cameras can analyze the behavior of a suspicious person and detect when a person behaving in a similar manner is caught on film. Lung cancer detection uses image recognition technology, which can save time compared to a doctor's visual inspection. Deep learning can also be used to improve the detection rate.
Let's look at how artificial intelligence will develop in the future and how this will change the future.
How will artificial intelligence develop in the future?
Artificial intelligence is widely expected to develop in the future, both in the utilization of big data and in the advancement of artificial intelligence technology based on brain science. And a fusion of information science and brain science is expected. Let me give you some examples of what kind of development is expected in each field.
・Medical and health care
will be able to provide tailor-made, advanced medical services.
・In the field of education
tutoring robots are expected to play an active role. They will be able to provide lessons tailored to the needs of individual students by utilizing data such as students' brain activity status. It is highly likely that the robot will be able to provide multilingual lessons as well.
・Disaster Prevention
Real-time evacuation route instructions and automatic translation during disasters are expected. This will help minimize damage in the event of a large-scale disaster.
・Business
will enable marketing that incorporates emotions and other factors.
・Care and welfare
care workers will be able to collaborate with care support robots. It is highly likely that nursing care robots will be able to take on more burdensome tasks.
・Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
Efficient development of new varieties of crops and precision agriculture are expected to be realized.
How will the development of artificial intelligence change society?
The development of artificial intelligence will likely lead to a decrease in crime because it will enhance crime prevention and surveillance. Any suspicious person can be detected immediately.
Machine operation will also improve dramatically through motion learning. In the manufacturing and logistics industries, it is expected to improve operational efficiency.
It will also help improve information security and simulation technology.
Expected Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future
As artificial intelligence becomes more widely used in society, it can compensate for labor shortages. This will be especially beneficial in Japan, where the population continues to decline due to the low birthrate and aging population.
Efficiency can also be improved in fields where labor shortages are serious, such as agriculture and nursing care. It will also help improve food self-sufficiency and the quality of nursing care services. Another expected role of artificial intelligence is to utilize intellectual property through machine learning.
With the development of artificial intelligence comes the following challenges
Impact on employment
One concern is that jobs will be lost. As technological innovation through artificial intelligence advances, some jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence. If this happens, some people will lose their jobs.
However, some jobs will be necessary for the introduction and spread of artificial intelligence. New jobs will also be created by utilizing artificial intelligence. There will also be costs involved in utilizing artificial intelligence. Therefore, it is strongly believed that the situation will not reach the point where the majority of human jobs will be lost. In order to cope with a society in which artificial intelligence has developed, it is necessary to pay attention to the use of artificial intelligence and the supplementation of employment in anticipation of the creation of new jobs.
Singularity Issues
Singularity is a technological singularity, proposed by Ray Kurzweil, in which ICT surpasses human intelligence.
It is said that the Singularity is likely to occur in 2045, and if this happens, people's living environment will change rapidly. AI may also be used to develop technologies.
Ethical Issues
Human society has universal values such as happiness, fairness, morality, rights, and traditions. However, as artificial intelligence develops, there will be a risk that such universal values will be violated. There is a concern that the rights that humans inherently possess may be lost or that the intelligence that humans possess may be violated.
Dealing with the misuse of artificial intelligence is another major challenge. If artificial intelligence becomes as intelligent as or more intelligent than humans, it will be difficult to deal with its misuse. In addition, not all applications of artificial intelligence will be successful. There is a possibility that serious mistakes or accidents may occur. Therefore, the question will arise as to who will be responsible for what happens as a result of artificial intelligence learning and making decisions on its own.
