Man vs. The Machine – but how do consumers feel about Artificial Intelligence?

Towards the end of last year technology had taken a sudden turn towards a new digital era. With Smart objects on the rise, it was only a matter of time until the thirst of innovation would force technology to evolve again! Since then and now we have seen a stronger presence of IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence), where industry leading conglomerates like Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and so many more, are constantly striving to provide us with the ultimate must have products. Now we’ve all seen the futuristic film classics like Minority Report, Star Wars,iRobot, Terminator etc. where AI plays a massive role in the way the characters survive and function. However not all of these films paint AI in a good light, for example Terminator is all about “Man vs. The Machine”, the same can be said about iRobot! We’ve also seen screen snippets where robot intelligence can actually detach human interaction completely as it evolves. So with some of these factors in mind, it’s no doubt that there is a mix of excitement and anxiety in the eyes of the consumers. To top it off since Google’s AI software Deep Mind has been in the public eye, there are many conflicting reactions from the general public. As Deep Mind is continually undergoing testing to challenge its capability and its learning potential, we as the audience have come to learn some highly intriguing facts. So far we have learnt that Deep Mind is almost able to read the human emotional state, and react to it accordingly by also experiencing this state itself. We have seen its potential for One-Shot learning, and how its new algorithm can create memories. We have even seen its darker side when it is faced with confrontation, where it will eliminate the threat almost immediately! So with the general public learning new things about AI every day, how are consumers actually feeling about it? Well according to a new report from global creative consultancy firm Lippincott, 80% of consumers are still excited about AI and machine learning, despite some anxiety. Lippincott surveyed 2,000 leading consumers from the USto determine their emotional state around the technology. 64% of the participants disclosed that they are enthusiastically expecting the world to have a drastic improvement by the next decade, whilst 40% where concerned about the changes AI would make to the economy. The report goes on to explain that 82% feel that AI and machine learning are making the world more convenient, and 86% of those surveyed agreed that they are now more dependent on technology than ever before! As a conclusion 78% of participants reported feeling more powerful and in control of their lives thanks to AI, IoT and smart machine support. However this is only a handful of opinions, and although we have some very exciting years of innovation ahead, there’s speculation on both sides to whether AI will rise to the occasion! RESOURCES: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-80-of-consumers-are-excited-about-they-way-ai-and-machine-learning-will-change-their-lives/