Artificial intelligence (AI)


Basna Mohamed Salih Hassan
Technical College of Duhok

The pace of integration of artificial intelligence technologies into our daily lives has accelerated remarkably. Machines have become capable of reading handwriting, understanding speech, translating from one language to another, playing chess, recognizing faces and voices, diagnosing diseases, and performing many tasks in various aspects of our lives. Where "deep learning" technology has risen to a prominent level, this technology relies on the development of artificial neural networks that imitate the way the human brain works, which enables it to benefit from experiences, learn and develop independently without human intervention.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is a branch of computer science that aims to develop systems and models capable of carrying out a variety of tasks in a way that mimics human intelligence. The development of artificial intelligence dates back to the 1950s, when the term was first used during the Dartworth University conference on artificial intelligence in the summer of 1956. Since then, the technology has progressed tremendously, thanks to the development of technology and the increasing power of computers, along with the availability of huge amounts of data. It led to the development of machine learning techniques and artificial neural networks, and improved natural language processing and computer vision techniques, which enhanced the ability of artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and make decisions more effectively.

What areas use artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is used in a wide range of fields, and among the areas most commonly used for artificial intelligence are:

  • Medicine and healthcare: Artificial intelligence is used to diagnose diseases, analyze medical images such as X-rays and CT scans, provide accurate treatment directions, and develop new medicines.
  • Trade and marketing: Artificial intelligence is used to analyze data, determine market trends and sales forecasts, and improve customer experience through smart recommendation systems.
  • Manufacturing and industry: Artificial intelligence is used to improve manufacturing processes and machine operation, provide intelligent control of production, anticipate breakdowns and perform preventive maintenance.
  • Finance and banking: Artificial intelligence is used in financial analysis, market forecasts, and automated trading, as well as in improving customer service operations and providing personal financial suggestions.
  • Information Technology: Artificial intelligence is used to develop smart software, cybersecurity solutions, and artificial intelligence systems to help manage networks and infrastructure.
  • Entertainment and games: Artificial intelligence is used in developing video games, virtual reality, and augmented reality, as well as in creating intelligent characters and simulating their behavior.
  • Transportation and logistics: Artificial intelligence is used to improve transportation and logistics systems, improve planning and scheduling, improve road organization, and reduce traffic.
  • Smart agriculture and agriculture: Artificial intelligence is used to analyze agricultural data to improve farm management, increase productivity, and improve quality.
  • Energy and environment: Artificial intelligence can be used to improve energy efficiency, save energy, and improve weather forecasts and environmental management.
  • Education and training: Artificial intelligence is used to develop smart education platforms and provide a personalized and effective educational experience for students.
  • Scientific research and discovery: AI can contribute to the analysis of large and complex scientific data and guide research and development in fields such as medicine, chemistry and physics.
  • Robotics and automation: Artificial intelligence is used to develop intelligent robots and automation in a variety of industries such as manufacturing and logistics.
  • Security and surveillance: Artificial intelligence is used to analyze data from surveillance systems and security devices to detect and respond to suspicious patterns and security threats.
  • Machine translation: Artificial intelligence can develop machine translation systems that help convert texts from one language to another quickly and accurately.
  • Human Resources: Artificial intelligence is used to improve selection, recruitment, and human resources management processes by analyzing CVs and guiding informed decisions.
  • Legal consulting: Artificial intelligence can develop legal consulting systems that help analyze legal data and provide legal advice.
  • Intelligent personal assistance: Artificial intelligence can develop intelligent personal assistant applications such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant that help perform daily tasks and provide information.
  • Arts and creativity: Artificial intelligence is used in the production of plastic arts, music, films, and electronic games by developing systems for generating new artistic works.

Artificial intelligence has many important benefits, which include:

  • Improving efficiency and productivity: Artificial intelligence can improve production and service processes in effective ways, increasing work efficiency and reducing errors.
  • Improving communication and interaction: Artificial intelligence can develop intelligent communication systems and interactive user interfaces that facilitate interaction between humans and machines.
  • Saving time and costs: Artificial intelligence can automate many processes that require significant time and human resources, reducing costs and increasing productivity.
  • Develop forecasting and analysis: Artificial intelligence can effectively analyze data and provide accurate guidance and future predictions that help in making strategic decisions.
  • Improving healthcare: Artificial intelligence can develop accurate medical diagnosis systems and provide personalized healthcare for each individual.

On the other hand, there are some potential harms to artificial intelligence, including:

  • Job loss: Technological development in the field of artificial intelligence may lead to the loss of some traditional jobs that could have the ability to be mastered by machines.
  • Privacy and security issues: AI technologies may raise privacy and security concerns, especially when it comes to collecting and analyzing personal data.
  • Moral control: The rapid development of artificial intelligence raises ethical questions about the ethics of decisions made by robots and the social impacts of these decisions.
  • Social implications: The advancement of artificial intelligence may exacerbate the gap between individuals who have access to technology and those who do not.

Specifically, the benefits and risks depend on how the technology is used and the measures taken to deal with emerging challenges.

Briefly, artificial intelligence is an advanced field that draws on a variety of technologies to create systems capable of interacting intelligently and effectively in multiple applications and domains.