Beyond the hype: the myths and truths of AI

It’s incredible how, even with all of the hype around it, a lot of people don’t truly know what artificial intelligence (AI) can really do. And I’m not talking about outsiders or “regular” folks - I’m referring to business execs and managerial staff. It may sound weird but it’s amazingly true, especially considering that more than 96% of them are already investing in AI.

Why do they do that? There’s a widespread belief that AI is called to be the biggest disruptor around since the Internet hit its stride. Naturally, that’s almost a fact, as we are already seeing some very interesting uses of AI in a lot of different industries, from self-driving cars to artificial poets. Yet, when you talk to a lot of those same executives about AI in more detail, most of them seem like they’ve just scratched the surface about what it can really offer.

It’s understandable, though. AI and all of its subsets (especially machine learning and deep learning) have a potential that is so vast that it’s hard to picture all that it can bring. That hits a lot closer to home for business people across a lot of fields that marvel at what others are doing with AI but can’t imagine how they could leverage such power.

It doesn’t help that there’s a lot of buzz and hype going around AI as a whole. Some analysts seem to outsize the technology’s capabilities to a point where everyone that’s paying attention to them feels that we’re about to enter a society reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s film AI. However, it’s enough to dive into what researchers, companies, and development teams are doing with this tech to see that that isn’t bound to happen any time soon.

Though AI can offer a lot for modern businesses in its current state, we’re still very far from its maturity. In that context, it’s important to demystify AI and bring some light to the muddied picture that contributes to those myths.

Myth #1 - AI is going to replace humans in every possible activity

One of the first concerns of a lot of people is how AI could eventually replace us practically everywhere. Some alarmists are seeing AI-based robots and platforms doing everything from transforming our farms and manufacturing the things we use to creating the art we consume and even governing our lives. 

In the mind of these people, the mere existence of AI already implies the pretty straightforward transfer of most of our activities to intelligent machines. In the end, the entire workforce will be replaced by these machines and humans will be rendered useless.

The truth: I don’t have to tell you that such a scenario is a gross oversimplification. As it stands today, AI doesn’t have the necessary skills to do a lot of things - especially without humans! And though the technology is already making its way across industries, its uses are limited to automating routine tasks and collaborating in processes that require human input and decision-making in one point or another.

It’s not that AI won’t have any impact on the workforce and in the way we work and do things. But rather than replace us altogether, evidence suggests AI will push us in new directions, from creating new business opportunities and industries to boosting our creativity.

Myth #2 - AI will be limited to automation and routine jobs

In the same way, there are alarmists that believe that AI will bring us the apocalypse, Terminator-style, there are the ones that go in the opposite direction: those who believe that AI will only replace routine-based jobs, especially those in the manual sector. In the eyes of these people, AI is just another type of software that, though sophisticated, could never rise up to the heights of human intelligence.

Thus, AI would be of great service to the manufacturing industry’s supply chains, assembly lines, and logistics, as well as in maintenance and assistance positions. However, taking AI from there would be next to impossible, as the technology would always need the human input to work on more complex tasks.

The truth: reality is already disproving these naysayers in a lot of ways. There are numerous businesses that are already using AI-based solutions for complex tasks. The healthcare industry is using them for faster and more precise diagnoses. The financial sector is employing AI to search for fraud. Cybersecurity companies are integrating complex algorithms to provide next-level protection. Heck, AI is already driving cars with no humans on board!

Maybe this belief grows out of the fear of being replaced. In a sense, it’s comfortable to think that AI would never be able to do what you can do. However, as all the technological changes of the last decade have shown us, keeping an open mind and adjusting to new contexts isn’t just advisable, it’s necessary. AI will reach a point where it will meddle in activities we can’t imagine today, so we owe it to ourselves to be prepared for such a massive change.

Myth #3 - AI works like human brains

The basic idea behind this myth is that AI-based computers and software are capable of mimicking the processing power of human brains to reason when confronted with a problem. Several current examples certainly give us the feeling that we’re dealing with intelligent agents, from software that’s capable of playing against (and beating) the best GO players to robots that can “talk” with humans.

What supports the belief that AI is capable of replicating the human brain’s inner workings is something that you’ve surely read in a lot of AI-related articles. That’s that certain forms of machine learning such as deep learning and natural language processing function in the same way as our brains.

The truth: Though a lot of AI-based solutions really seem intelligent, they are actually programmed that way. Take them away from the tasks they were programmed to do and they’ll be useless. Let’s say you have an image recognition algorithm that’s capable of identifying people better than any human could ever do. What do you think it’ll happen if you tried to use it to make music? Nothing, of course.

There’s a fallacy that supports the myth. Although it’s true that AI engineers try to replicate how the human brain works, the applications they design are inspired by what we know about such workings. In other words, we might have some ideas about how our brains do all of their thinking but we don’t fully know nor understand all of the processes involved. As such - how can we expect to create machines able to do the same?

Myth #4 - AI isn’t for everyone

Believe it or not, I’ve heard people talking about how AI is just another tool that will eventually settle and will never match the expectations around it. It’s true that people that like to think this way are mostly business execs that feel that they already master their industry, so there’s no reason to invest in some emerging technology with no proven record of success.

This belief almost always derives in those business people thinking that they don’t need AI-based solutions. Why would they want it, anyway? If AI is just a little more than a buzzword, then there’s no need to invest in costly research that takes a lot of time to bear results. There’s also the idea that not every industry can use AI because not every sector uses this kind of digital solutions on a fundamental level.

The truth: The fact is that certain sectors that are lagging behind AI implementation will be forced to jump on this train in the coming years. That’s because AI has such a tremendous potential that it can be applied to almost anything you can imagine, from farming and manufacturing to healthcare, retail, and art. 

The fact that some people can’t think of a use for AI within their businesses doesn’t mean it can’t have one. One of the main problems with the modern integration of AI in companies is that people don’t have the right mindset to tackle it. There’s a need for a shift in how we all think regarding AI, a change that requires a more creative approach to the growth and improvement possibilities laying around in business processes.

Some final thoughts

The cultural change I’ve just referred to is a must if AI is going to roll out its full potential. In some ways, I think that the change will take place no matter what, as AI appears as a growing ally for a lot of businesses and industries. Even when a lot of them don’t truly grasp the power that lies behind this technology, the rising investment levels will provide a clearer picture in the near future.

Of course, that cultural change has to be taken responsibly by everyone involved. First and foremost, we have to get rid of all the myths surrounding AI that are surely hurting its development. For that to happen, all the business environment has to get involved in the new technology, understanding its current state, devising its future uses, and debating about the potential directions it might take. 

After that, it’ll be up to each individual company to weigh the importance of AI for them. This implies that they could dismiss AI right now as a result of some strategic approach. While I’m not passing judgment for anyone that does that, the estimates and projections about AI’s growth certainly feel like strong signals for us to see that the moment of betting in AI is now. However, that investment shouldn’t be blind because, even when we still don’t see all the possibilities the AI can bring, what we already saw is too promising to ignore.