IT is now a common acknowledgement that AI will not only be utilized for more general purposes in human life, but will also shake up the landscapes of a range of industries from e-commerce to health care.

What’s behind AlphaGo

AI basically relies on algorithms and big data, according to Luo Jiebo, professor of computer science at the University of Rochester. AlphaGo uses a type of search algorithm to find its moves based on the knowledge it previously “learned” by a type of AI called deep learning, or neural networks that mimic human learning, through playing a large number of games with both humans and machines.

This time, Go player Ke Jie confronted with a newly upgraded version of AlphaGo bettered by reinforcement learning, which enables AlphaGo to sort out the best solution on its own.

Luo held that owing to deep learning, AI has improved remarkably in its capability to identify visuals and recognize voices after gobbling up a huge mass of data.

He added that so far in China, face detection and recognition has been applied successfully in practical terms, which relies largely on a combination of deep learning and big data.

AI in traditional industries

E-commerce giants, such as Amazon and Alibaba, have used a form of machine learning in their online recommendation systems to boost sales, which are based on data collected from customers’ browsing and purchasing preferences.

Alibaba will roll out facial recognition payment software in the near future. According to a video demonstrating the payment system, shoppers will be able to complete payment by scanning their faces and inputing the last four digits of their mobile phone numbers.

AI applications that will make human life smarter involve health care, autonomous driving and smart robotics industries.

One of the most anticipated sectors is health care. Researchers have claimed that AI software will likely serve as an experienced assistant by helping doctors sift through loads of patient information and accumulate clinical data and experience for better disease diagnosis, such as cancer diagnosis and the recognition of magnetic resonance imaging.

“In the medical field, AI can learn from cases from around the world, at which it excels. However, a doctor can only gain experience from the cases he has seen, which has limits,” said Luo.

Elaborating on his blueprint, Li Yanhong, CEO of Chinese Internet giant Baidu, predicted that AI would be the “main course” for the future, calling the Internet “the appetizer,” in a speech during the 2017 Baidu Union Summit held in Southwest China’s Chongqing on May 23.

Jobs on edge

However, it has sparked huge concerns that AI would shake up traditional industries by slashing hordes of jobs.

At present, some lenders and financial institutions in the United States have used AI underwriting and loan-distributing machines to replace humans.

“The machines can decide whether and how much to lend, as well as how long the loans should be with a wealth of data,” said Luo, “Decisions made by machines are more accurate and without human bias.”

In Luo’s opinion, although unemployment caused by AI would be inevitable, it should not be viewed negatively because machines are not on the opposite side of humans.

“There must be new jobs turning up. For example, machines need (people) to maintain them,” he said.

He gave the example of the use of AI in health care. “AI will make doctors’ work easier, as machines process preliminary information. But it is humans who make critical and final decisions,” he said. “That’s because machines would only consider things that humans order them to.”

“I think the ultimate purpose of AI is not to replace humans, but rather to co-exist with humans and achieve common prosperity, which is the right direction (for the development of AI),” Luo stressed. (Xinhua)