Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, has revolutionized the way humans do business since its conception in the mid-1950s. By providing computers with the ability to think for themselves, AI machines allow businesses to handle more data and make more educated decisions about their products, services, marketing and operations than ever before possible. If you’re ready to see how artificial intelligence will benefit your business, here are 10 ways it’s already transforming the world we live in today.
How it enhances customer service
When chatbots can answer questions and solve problems on their own, customers have a better experience while also spending less time waiting around. Plus, by taking some of these conversations off your hands, you free up employees to work on other projects—which could ultimately improve efficiency across your organization. For example, in April 2016, British Airways launched its new virtual assistant that uses artificial intelligence to answer customer service questions via Facebook Messenger. The company reported that nearly one-third of all queries are now handled without any human interaction at all.
What are AI chatbots?
A chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, or automated user interface. Chatbots are designed to respond to questions and instructions via audio, speech, or text. They can be used in many ways, including customer service and marketing. AI technology makes it possible for chatbots to have a capacity for learning, personalization and adaptation that simple rule-based systems cannot achieve by themselves.
A Brief History of AI
The concept of AI was born at a gathering of computer scientists in 1956. There, an American researcher named John McCarthy introduced artificial intelligence as a field for study. But even before that, machines were busy proving their potential to help with tasks like learning and decision-making. One of the earliest examples? A program developed by Alan Turing called The Imitation Game—which would later be known as Turing Test—in which a human subject converses via text with both another human and a machine. If they can’t tell which one is which, then we have achieved true artificial intelligence.
What if... AI becomes so smart it no longer needs us?
This question might sound preposterous today, but it's an important one to consider. Machines and AI are already capable of doing many things humans cannot, like recognizing and processing data faster than we can blink. As these technologies continue to evolve, how will they help us? And more importantly: how will they replace us? While there’s no clear answer yet, one thing is certain: as machines become smarter, their impact on our lives will only grow. It’s up to us to decide what that impact looks like.