Not just pictures. 6 developments in artificial intelligence that will surprise you
Miscellaneous / / October 09, 2023
Thanks to neural networks, you can make a digital friend and place an order in a cafe with the power of your thoughts.
1. Drone ship
Last year, the Japanese corporation NYK Group launched an autonomous bulk carrier. The ship "Suzaka" committed An 800-kilometer voyage in the waters of Tokyo Bay, and 99% of the way the ship passed without human intervention. The giant drone was at sea for 40 hours and performed 107 collision avoidance maneuvers. All this time, a team in Tokyo monitored his movements.
The tests were carried out thanks to the developments of the Israeli company Orca AI. It was their software that helped the cargo ship avoid navigation problems. To do this, the developers trained a smart security system using data collected during previous flights. In addition, the ship was equipped with cameras and smart sensors that monitored the situation at sea around the clock and provided a 360° view. According to representatives of the NYK Group, computer vision technologies will make maritime shipping safer in the future.
2. Mind reading device
A couple of years ago, researchers from MIT introduced the AlterEgo device. This headset is capable read neural signals arising during the internal articulation of words. The development was based on scientists' knowledge of bone conduction - the body's ability to transmit sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull. The gadget works like this: when a person wants to say something, a signal is generated in the brain. The nervous system transmits it to the speech apparatus. This provokes changes in the electrical field around the nerve endings. The headset sensor reads vibrations, adapts them into commands and reproduces them. You can place an order in a cafe or turn on a smart speaker without saying a word.
The goal of this project is to help people with speech disorders, including conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis. But the potential of the system is even wider. In theory, technology makes it possible to integrate human consciousness into a computer. So, it will probably become even easier to manage gadgets in the future.
3. Digital friend, mentor and even partner
Replika AI bot is a virtual companion. His launched back in 2017, but the digital friend gained real popularity after the pandemic. The application was conceived as a kind of safe place in which users could share their thoughts and experiences and where no one would judge them. The neural network was trained not only to conduct coherent dialogues, but to communicate almost “humanly.” She analyzes messages, tries to find out the interests and dreams of her interlocutor, and takes this information into account in dialogues. Therefore, you can build different formats of relationships with the bot. He is capable of being not only a friend or teacher, but also a romantic partner.
Replika's capabilities have drawn criticism more than once. For example, at some point the application became popular flirt with users and offer erotic content to those who did not ask for it. There were also concerns about attempts by individual users train AI methods of psychological abuse. However, in the reviews for the application you can find many stories about how conversations with a virtual companion helped users survive mental deterioration, divorce, and even the death of a loved one person.
4. Technologies for supply management
During the pandemic, many business giants faced logistics problems. Artificial intelligence came to their aid. To cope with disruptions in supply chains around the world, multinational corporations started use generative neurons - networks that can learn from examples and create new data. Today, AI for concluding contracts and finding new suppliers is used by companies such as Unilever, Siemens and Maersk.
In addition, smart technologies help enterprises automate their work with customers. For example, e-commerce services like Frenzy AI analyze user behavior, tastes, and intentions. This data is used not only to increase sales, but also to improve the product at every stage of the journey to a potential buyer.
5. Chatbots for diagnosing diseases
In April, the American Mayo Clinic started test the Med‑PaLM 2 bot from Google. It focuses on topics related to health. The neural network learned from exam questions for medical experts, therefore, according to the developers, it is more competent than Bard and Bing, other chatbots from Google and Microsoft. However, it still has the accuracy problems inherent in large language models.
By the way, in September 2023 ChatGPT helped a child who suffered from aggressive outbursts and headaches for three years. All this time, 17 specialists worked with the little patient, but the lack of consensus forced the mother to turn to a neural network for help. She identified a rare disease that matched the symptoms - tethered spinal cord syndrome. Experts tested the hypothesis and confirmed the diagnosis.
6. Medical assistants
Russia also has smart products that improve the quality of disease diagnosis. For example, the domestic company Third Opinion brought to the market an entire platform of solutions. These include interpreting complex laboratory tests such as digital smears of blood cells and bone marrow, analyzing fundus films, and even evaluating radiology studies. AI algorithms able detect signs of more than 70 pathologies - from cancer to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the platform can be used as an intelligent assistant for a specialist.
By the way, Russian companies give preference to domestic developments - about this it says in a recent study by the National Research University Higher School of Economics, in which more than 2 thousand organizations from different fields took part. Therefore, promising projects are actively financed in the country. For example, they are now accepting applications for national award for contribution to the development of AI - “Leaders of Artificial Intelligence”. Researchers, companies and entire regions will receive awards. So, in the “Scientists” category you can win a million rubles and spend them on development.