We had a great time at the Samsung Develop Conference 2017 (SDC 2017) in San Francisco last week where we met some of the brightest minds in technology. We learned about emerging and disruptive technologies, connected with peers and industry leaders and began to build lasting partnerships. Based on these interactions, 3 insights emerged that we suggest keeping top of mind as society forges forward with the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Technology Can Make Us More Human
With the advent of AI, everyone seems to be asking the same question: is the human race doomed by the proliferation of AI? At SDC 2017, we had the pleasure of discussing this topic with some of the most highly regarded professionals in the industry, and their answers were a resounding “no”. AI will not rise up and destroy humanity. In fact, in their opinion, the opposite is more likely to happen.
Speaker after speaker emphasized AI’s ability to augment humans, enable us to function at a higher level and become less dependent on our screens. For example, Samsung’s Bixby 2.0 will have hands free access, voice recognition, and the ability to make all our devices IoT enabled, even those born before the IoT era. This, in turn, will provide us with a personal assistant capable of natural language processing, reading us instructions, turning our lights on and off, telling us the contents of our fridge, and much more. To find out more, here’s a full article about Bixby 2.0.
Humanity Is Still Relevant
While the majority of the conference was filled with excitement and enthusiasm for AI, there was an underlying concern that it threatens certain industries and roles. Experts in the field didn’t deny that disruption is likely to happen. But, as the previous point discusses, they also asserted that it will have a positive net outcome. Looking forward, experts offered two valuable skills to develop.
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- Hone your ability to take on problems. AI is poised be an expert in most small and repetitive tasks, leaving humans with the tough ones. As such, we should learn how to be problem solvers and maintain focus. AI will be able to recommend a course of action, but it will still be up to humans to use our unique judgment and problem-solving abilities to take action.
- Always remain adaptive. AI is bringing our world into unchartered territory and we need to be able to roll with the punches.
AI and IoT Are An Inseparable Pair
Experts also highlighted the symbiotic relationship of AI and IoT. On one hand, AI is becoming a reality thanks to the huge amounts of data collected by IoT devices, as it’s necessary to train the algorithms. On the other hand, AI helps to translate IoT data into reliable recommendations and actionable insights. This occurs through the analysis of millions, or in some cases billions, of data points, more than any human could conceivably handle. For example, IoT and AI experts from IBM talked about combining environmental data with personal health data to notify us when air pollution levels are high and caution at-risk individuals, such as children and the elderly, from going outside.
Overall Take Away
We’re at the beginning of a time of great change. Everyone is trying to figure out how to harness the power of AI and IoT, but one thing is almost certain: there will be a seismic shift in the way we live our lives. AI is only limited by our imaginations and how far we’re willing to bring it.
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