AI Artificial Intelligence and US

AI Artificial Intelligence and US
Date:16th Feb 2019
Saturday -18:17 PM

Long time but I was literally excited to write this blog post. This is inspired by my recent dive into a course on Artificial intelligence by ISTE International Standards of Technology Education.  The post will give you an insight into AI and types of AI (Assistive and Agentive), use of AI in daily life applications, its deep impact and the potential for schools etc.

Though I have had an encounter with AI during my MS IT program some 10 years back but it never occurred the field would grow to this extent in just 10 years and have a profound effect on our future lives. What I remember from my course is the research I did about developing a traffic control system in Peshawar based on fuzzy logic and swarm intelligence, that aids in smooth running of the traffic and avoids traffic congestion on roads. The traffic model was designed using Matlab. It basically meant giving computer enough intelligence to sort out the traffic congestion issue and suggest solutions like human mind does but we tend to forget is that the human mind has been blessed with the ability to reason in approximation which the computer cannot do. 

Briefly stating Fuzzy logic uses mathematical models to convert qualitative information into quantitative information , converts it into Algorithms.  Swarm Intelligence is also  an artificial intelligence technique inspired by the biological behavior of animals, how they locally interact with each other and their environment. For example ant colonies, birds flocking, animal herding etc ACO Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm (a successful swarm intelligence technique) mimics how ants walk from the food source to the nest and vice versa they leave a pheromone trail which helps other ants to follow the path and choose the shortest path. Ants work as agents that transmit information locally through other agents. 

In my proposed model, that uses both Fuzzy logic and Swarm Intelligence , there is a fuzzy logic controller on every traffic junction (between City and Hayatabad) there are ant agents on traffic junctions,  they gather information (pheromone) and share with other junctions. The driver through an app remains updated of traffic on the next junction and thus avoids one junction and moves to next.

The model for reducing traffic congestion that I had proposed some 10 years back now actually make more sense when I am digging deeper into what AI Artificial Intelligence is all about. And i think it falls perfectly into Agentive technologies where the ants use the intelligence to create some new intelligence that helps the drive to avoid road blockades.

My understanding built over going through Module 1 of the course and the podcast by Chris Noessel, suggests AI has something to do with thinking like humans and making decisions. I was amazed to read about the History of AI from the Electro Smoking Robot in 1939 responding to voice commands and then to Turing test (checking machines intelligence) introduced by Alan Turing, to coining of the term by John Mcarthy, to Eliza a natural language processing computer, which respond  to questions  but does but demonstrate enough understanding, to Harold Cohen Aaron - a computer that creates drawing to finally Microsoft Kinnect in 2010 which provides the first non laboratory sensors for human computer interaction , to 2017 where Libratus a computer program developed by Carnigie Mellon University wins a poker game. Its come a long way indeed.

 

My traffic model suggested uses Agentive Technology, but a little more advanced than Google Search, Google Home, Amazon Echo which uses Assistive technologies.  Both Google Home and Amazon Echo can search information, work with integrated devices at home, manage smart devices, look for movies playing on a theater near by, search for songs and play for you. ECHO  though has a set of skills, where as with Google Home lets you ask questions. 

Google Now is more of Agentive technologies, where it keeps check of your calendar, traffic congestion and triggers or alerts to you. IBM Chef Watson creates recipes using the AI and cognition , using only four letters like EATS. Each letter represents an ingredient . The IBM Chef Watson uses the ingredients to create new recipes and you get a taste of cognitive cooking, these recipes are then shared on the social media and people try and tested it out. Sounds more like Agentive technologies, where the machine uses existing knowledge to create some new knowledge.

Roomba Vacuum cleaner on the other hand uses agentive technology since it operates without human intervention. The only maintenance it requires is cleaning up and removing heavy furniture that comes in the middle during the cleanup. It gets connected easily through wifi with an Enhanced iRobot app, you can give it a name , schedule cleanup sessions and it will auto clean and go the charging deck in case the battery is low.

Dyeson 360 EYE is a similar Robot,  can be connected with wifi easily , has a 360 degrees navigation, is controlled through a Dyeson link app, can even clean when your away from home, has a double suction power, has a built in camera, maps your home and knows where it has cleaned and needs further cleaning. This can easily switch between quiet mode and deep clean mode, has continuous tank track which help remove obstacles, which makes it a little more powerful than Roomba.

Facebook games like Nametest Apps, or games like Akinator which uses your responses, profile information and suggests answers for you. More like Assistive technologies but for fun actually. iOS Siri though sounds more useful.

So to summarize what makes it AI? the ability to recognize images, learn from an experience, read a pattern, suggest a solution, understand language , ability to reason etc. So, for a moment if you think of the above machines I have mentioned they more or less are able to perform most tasks mentioned here though not all. Each falls within either Assistive or Agentive technologies.

So the important question is do we need to introduce AI in schools in Pakistan at the moment and how? Yes Of course is the obvious answer. Kids know more about Robotics then we do, they are already introduced to programming in schools, they are working on LOGO, Sratch, have Robotic Clubs in schools, learn different programming languages etc. Most importantly they have been exposed to Xbox 360 systems at homes, they have watched movies like Transformers, have robotic toys at home and what not. Therefore, I feel a dire need to introduce AI as a compulsory separate subject in the middle or senior school. With each grade ending with a complete project on AI, though standards can be defined for projects.  The How and What still needs a lot of  exploration. 

Enjoy Reading till my next blog post soon Inshallah.

Take care as always
Regards and prayers
Sheeba Ajmal

References:

1 Amazon Echo VS Google Home, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAn6oH08WgQ

Accessed Online 16th Feb 2019

2. Should you buy a Robot Vacuum Cleaner, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csGdz5_gZiY

Accessed Online 16th Feb 2019

3. IBM Chef Watson , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBTiuSaV8Yw

Accessed online 16th Feb 2019

4. Dyson 360 Eye Review , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEJga4KUi2A

Accessed Online 16th Feb 2019

5. Dyeson 360 EYE Features https://www.dysoncanada.ca/en/robot-vacuums/dyson-360-eye-features.html

Accessed Online 16th Feb 2019