The inception of Artificial Intelligence dates back to 1956, 11 years after WW2 ended. Some philosophers even believed that machines would replace workers by the mid-1970s. But surprisingly, the research and development of AI have been accelerating only for a decade. Although there were instances when AI became news a few times, the true revolution has started lately. In a short time, it also has significantly impacted people’s lives in some way or another. Moreover, due to the improved efficiency and performance with AI, many companies realized investing in AI is a great idea to foster their business.
AI has emerged into various industries, businesses, and even people’s lives. Yet, there are still many areas AI should enter into. Fortunately, the use of AI everywhere is rapidly growing, and it is to bring many more changes to how businesses run and how we lead our lives. In fact, the global artificial intelligence market is anticipated to reach USD 190.61 billion by 2025. Additionally, the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic only increased this value. Let’s see current trends in Artificial Intelligence and also its future.
Top Artificial Intelligence Trends in 2021
Robot Technology
Workers’ safety is lately realized as one of the crucial factors in organizations. This has boosted the importance of introducing robots (which is already in a few sectors). Robots perform human tasks to improve efficiency and safety, ensuring physical distance. E-commerce giants such as Amazon have been using robots in the manufacturing process to pack, sort, and clean spaces. A few hospitals in China and Japan also have been using robots to check patient’s temperature and carry on disinfection works.
As the safety of people is a significant factor during and after the pandemic days, the usage of robots only grows in many other areas. You can watch out for this trend in institutions, stores, public places. Moreover, robot technology increases the safety of workers and avoids downtime of business, and reduces the number of workers.
Now, let’s see the other side of the coin. When businesses talk about AI, most people often worry about unemployment. But the truth is far beyond fear. AI won’t steal people’s jobs; it only makes them switch their jobs. The introduction of robots brings numerous new jobs for people who are ready to adopt new technologies.
AI for Everyone (AI Democratization)
So far, AI is familiar only among technical giants and startups. Companies with fewer resources and skills are unable to afford AI. This uneven distribution of technology is going to change in the coming days. AI democratization means making AI more accessible to a broader range of businesses, no matter the size. Businesses that train employees at all levels in their company about using the technology will make the most out of AI. As AI illiteracy is predicted to be the future problem in the labor market, organizations need to educate their employees.
AI will grow more popular and cheaper shortly. The best part is the popular it grows, the accurate its products become.
AI in Recruiting
AI in recruiting is the up-and-coming trend in 2021 and beyond. Hiring the right candidates is the most challenging job in the recruitment process. AI in recruiting solutions makes the hiring and complete recruitment process much easier. It automates mundane high-volume tasks such as sourcing candidates, screening resumes and shortlisting potential candidates. It also makes hiring much more effortless, and smarter using the data insights and saves a lot of time and costs.
Of course, all these benefits come with a few challenges. Firstly, AI requires massive data to learn and make the right decisions that replicate human intelligence. Secondly, when AI is trained to learn data, it finds patterns that may lead to unconscious biases in recruiting process.
AI in Healthcare
As discussed earlier, AI has been playing a key role in the healthcare industry. The pandemic has highlighted the significance of physical and mental health. Hospitals have been testing AI to improve treatment efficiency. It is found that AI with Machine Learning does more than that. Machine Learning is being used to analyze people’s mental health after the pandemic. In 2020, MIT and Harvard analyzed about 800,000 Reddit posts and found numerous threads about anxiety and suicide (these threads are more than doubled in 2020 compared to the previous year).
Furthermore, AI and Machine Learning have proven useful in research, drug discovery, and therapies. A few biotech companies have been using these technologies already, and their usage is yet to grow more.
AI in Cybersecurity
Cyber threats evolve with the internet and technology. The wider use of technology will also leave entry points for cyber attackers. In 2021, over 436 data breaches were detected 2020, affecting more than 17 million people in America’s healthcare sector, according to the Civil Rights and Health and Human Services Department. Healthcare and medical facilities are likely to become victims of data breaches as sensitive patient data gets more money on the dark web. Additionally, more cyber attacking tools on the internet today inspire even non-techies to commit crimes. Due to this, organizations will have to invest in cybersecurity to prevent data breaches and attacks. As AI is known to learn and remember patterns, it detects and helps companies avoid prior attacks. It is estimated that nearly 55% of companies have increased their cybersecurity budget in 2021, and it grows more in the coming years.
AI as Assistant
Many companies are online today, and with changes in customer behaviors, they will have to improve their customer service. As a result, voice assistants and chatbots have become ongoing trends in the online world. As the trends show that customers prefer contacting brands from their mobile phones and on the go, there’s no other option for businesses but to integrate a chatbot on their website. Moreover, customers are already in love with voice assistants. Right from ordering pizza, operating smart home appliances, to booking a flight ticket, they want someone to do it. As customer service plays a vital role in the business, the use of voice assistants and chatbots will grow more and more in the coming days.
Artificial Intelligence is one of the biggest technology trends in 2021. With the rise of the pandemic, AI has grown differently due to change in consumer behaviors and needs. Fortunately, this has changed what 2022 holds for AI. You can see AI plunging every sector in the coming months of 2021, which will hugely impact the future.
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