ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
and driving licenses becoming an archaic method of identification and payment . This is something Georges Nahon , CEO of Orange Silicon Valley and President of global research lab , the Orange Institute , sees as a viable part of our near future . a “ Thanks to AI , the face will be the new credit card , the new driver ’ s licence and the new barcode ,” he explains . “ Facial recognition is already completely transforming security with biometric capabilities being adopted , and seeing how tech and retail are merging , like Amazon is with Whole Foods , I can see a near future where people will no longer need to stand in line at the store .”
Rise of the chatbots “ When it comes to artificial intelligence in 2018 , companies will begin to hire individuals who can properly analyse algorithms ,” says Timo Eliott , ‘ Innovation Evangelist ’ at SAP . “ We will call these people ‘ algorithm whisperers ’,” he continues . “ Chatbots will be assisting everyone – from being incorporated into mobile phones , to the bricks-and-mortar shopping experience . In the future , all products , services , and business processes will be self-improving .”
Cautious steps Despite the hopes harboured for the game-changing potential of deep learning through AI , Michael Morvan , Co-founder and CEO of infrastructure management specialist Cosmo Tech , offers words of warning for 2018 : “ The AI debate shifts from ‘ is it good or evil ’ to ‘ is it ever going to be good enough ’.
“ If 2017 was the year warnings from Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking about the potential evil from AI clashed with predictions from Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates on its potential good , 2018 will be the year when the debate shifts to its practical utility . Much like other technologies that were lauded for their worldchanging potential and then fizzled as the fog of the hype cleared , early adopters will find themselves disappointed by AI ’ s obvious limits . The broader public – familiar with Alexa , Siri and Google Home – will be similarly disillusioned as the experts acknowledge that there is only so much AI will be able to do , and for really complex problems , a new paradigm will be needed .”
36 February 2018