Since the announcement of OpenAI’s ChatGPT earlier this month, artificial intelligence (AI) has been pushed firmly into the spotlight for 2023.
It’s no secret, however, that for some time there has been a war waging between Microsoft, OpenAI’s primary investor, and Google, as the two tech giants jostle over the future of AI. Whilst Microsoft is anticipated to bring ChatGPT to its search engine, Bing, Google has been vying to bring rival AI chatbot, Bard, to the market post-haste. Certainly, a raft of other competitors will also be waiting in the wings, strategising how they can capitalise on what’s been dubbed the ‘AI gold rush.’
Still, the reality is that none of this is new in that we’ve been benefitting from AI-led products for years now. Think Spotify music or Facebook post recommendations based on your past choices – these have been around for more than a decade. Indeed, AI algorithms have been powering ground-breaking companies like these since the beginning, and today all entertainment platforms have users’ preferences sorting layers based on AI/ML models.
During the last few years, we’ve seen countless AI applications across a range of fields, particularly in the enterprise space. Philips uses its AI tools to Improve operational efficiency to help healthcare providers focus on patient care, whilst Farfetch is the leading global platform for the luxury fashion industry and has been researching AI Retail Technology to bolster UI.
In the cyber security space, a lot is happening with Onfido software for virtual identity verification and fraud security; Feedzai makes banking more secure with its platform for fraud and financial crime protection, and Tessian is making us all safer with its email security solution.
In other areas, Signal AI media monitoring solution uses AI to get tailored news and information to its respective clients and Stratio is pushing for more reliable public transportation with vehicle predictive maintenance. Another example is Neuraspace, which is looking at how to improve space traffic management (yes, satellites) using AI/ML.
There are myriad use cases for AI, which increase and decrease in urgency, from saving lives to simply improving the way we experience the world around us. And whilst the technology continues to evolve, the only certainty in its future is uncertainty. Tracing its path over the last decade proves that nobody can know where the AI current will take us, but I’m curious to find out.
