As interested as I am in programming, I keep researching new trends and nice things popping up in the field of programming. Recently there has been so much buzz about machine learning and artificial intelligence that I have longed to comprehend it better. There must be something about it making a lot of people talk about it. I, therefore, took it upon myself to research and get to know why so many people and now moving on to learn machine learning or even artificial intelligence.

Therefore, in this post, I want to share with you some of the findings I got explained in the simple language so you can also appreciate all it is that they are all talking about.

So basically the answers I found are summarized in this paragraph. Artificial intelligence and its subset machine learning play a key role in Fraud detection and control, managing big data, solving problems in unconventional ways and you know what, more companies, governments and individuals alike have started investing so much into it.

Fraud detection and control

Fraud is not a new thing and probably started way before the invent of technology and the internet itself. But in the face of the internet and all the other forms of technologies available now, the number and cost of fraud are rising and if nothing is done about it, this is going to affect so many people companies and individuals as well.

Because of the rise in fraud, there is a need for intelligent systems that can easily help detect to prevent fraud. With the use of artificial intelligence or machine learning, there could be a solution to this pressing issue and that is one major reason why there is so much buzz about artificial intelligence and machine learning now.

You can read more on (www.cuinsight.com/everyone-talking-machine-learning.html )

Big data solution

Big data and its controversies are another headaches that I will have to look into later. For now, let’s stick to the Wikipedia definition of big data. Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data ) defines big data as a field that treats ways to analyze, systematically extract information from, or otherwise deal with datasets that are too large or complex to be dealt with by traditional data-processing application software.

I have come to realize that one of the main reasons for this buzz, is that artificial intelligence seems to bring a solution to the problem of managing big data and making good use of it. Several companies are collecting so much data at any point in time that, without the power of this new phase of programming, it will be difficult to analyze, make meaning and useful predictions to help propel these companies in the right direction.

Unconventional solutions to human problems

Solving problems in unconventional ways is another reason for the buzz around artificial intelligence and machine learning. The invent of autonomous cars and use in clinical diagnosis are two main solutions presented by artificial intelligence that caught my attention. In the health field, I was really amazed to read about some of the applications of artificial intelligence. And if this happens to be a beginner’s phase, then, I can only imagine how the future of health practice will be like. I look forward to seeing some of these play out not only in the western world but in developing countries where some of us come from.

More investments in artificial intelligence

Giant companies that we may all know about have started pumping billions of dollars into artificial intelligence research and its implementation in their companies as well. Some of the popular companies that have started this already include; Microsoft, google, amazon, Alibaba, IBM, and many more others.

If artificial intelligence and machine learning were not that important, I don’t think these companies would have invested so much in it. Their interest in it alone tells us that there is more than can be done with it and any of these companies want to explore all possible opportunities. One thing that I have come to realize is that in the tech world, first-mover advantage gives companies so much power that they leverage to make much money. I, therefore, see this as a race to who becomes the first to discover something new. And certainly, the one company that does will definitely dominate the market for a while and make much money from it.

If it is this important to these giant tech companies, then I believe it should also be important to all of us young and upcoming programmers especially those who look forward to working for any of these companies.

Read more on (How tech giants are investing in artificial intelligence https://www.techworld.com/picture-gallery/data/tech-giants-investing-in-artificial-intelligence-3629737 )

The increasing power of computers

Artificial intelligence and machine learning can be considered as advance computing and these require kind of supercomputers for them to be implemented. I want to believe that, it’s because of this set back that artificial intelligence and machine learning have taken a long time to play out totally.

With the advent of powerful computers with great processing abilities and the invent of 5g technology, I am optimistic that artificial intelligence and machine learning have just taken off and will soon take over almost everything around. I’m not saying that it will replace everything. What I mean to say is that it will have applications in every field of work.

So basically, artificial intelligence and machine learning are becoming popular now because all those expensive resources required for their production and implementation are now being made available and affordable. As such many, more people are able to get into it now than before.

Technically what is Artificial intelligence and machine learning

According to Wikipedia, artificial intelligence which sometimes people refer to as machine learning even though this is not the right thing is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans. It is often used to describe machines or computers that mimic “cognitive” functions that humans associate with the human mind, such as “learning” and “problem-solving”. This page on Wikipedia gives lots of details, you can take a read (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence )

For how long has artificial intelligence been around?

Officially, artificial intelligence started when the term was coined, which was in 1956. Unfortunately, from its discovery to now, it has gone through several ups and downs. From the start it was hailed as the key to the future and with time interests in it started dwindling. It was then thought of as a failure until recently when interest in the field has been rekindled.

In this era, where we are seeing so much of its applications, experts say we are nowhere near the exact capabilities of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Thus the consider what we are now fascinated about as the infancy of artificial intelligence.

If this is just the infancy, then you can imagine how the all-grown-up artificial intelligence will be like.

How artificial intelligence came about

Even though the term artificial intelligence was first coined by John McCarthy in 1956, history has it that, it has roots far beyond this particular time. Starting from philosophers who wanted to understand how the human being reasons and trying to see if machines could also be made as smart as humans are.

After reading about the history of machine learning and artificial intelligence, I am tempted to believe that it should really have started with philosophers who were on the journey to understand how human reasoning comes about and trying to replicate.

What are some of the pros and cons of artificial intelligence and machine learning

Pros

1. Artificial intelligence and machine learning give us the ability to make difficult decisions in a short period of time.
2. Machines, unlike humans, can work continuously without any form of fatigue.
3. Machines even though may not be perfect, are able to reduce the room for error because it works on a set of algorithms. So once the algorithm is perfect, the machine is likely to give the best of results.
4. Machines that are intelligent can replace humans in situations where human safety is not guaranteed.

Cons

1. Very expensive. The overall cost of producing and implementing Artificial intelligence is huge and only a few people can make such an investment for now.
2. Machines cannot be creative on their own. Performing out of the box activity creativity is one thing machines can’t do, at least for now.
3. The danger of humans depending on machines for everything is also impending.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the buzz about artificial intelligence and machine learning is real and I believe the quicker we embrace it the better for us all. If you’re a young person with any sort of interest in programming, technology or computing then I think you should keep a close eye on artificial intelligence or better still start learning it.

I am not the only young guy out there that has found myself researching on the internet to understand artificial intelligence and why so much noise about it recently, thus I decided to put this together from saving you the headache of trying to read almost everything I read before writing this piece just because time may not be on your side.

Anyway, you can always check back on my blog because I am going to be summarizing lots of the things I learn about artificial intelligence and machine learning in various blog posts. I will do my best to summarize them in simple language that almost every newbie can understand.

Share to all your folks and let them also get the benefit you’re getting from this post.