It is without a doubt that the internet has been one of the greatest inventions of our lifetime. No other technology has had a more substantial impact than the internet. Artificial intelligence has been one of the most impactful in recent times. When we hear the term AI, our mind goes to the movies where a computer is speaking, understanding, and solving problems like humans. While that is still some time away, we are currently poised to get there a lot sooner than expected.
At its core, AI is trained with large amounts of data akin to how a person learns from various sources throughout their lifetime. This data is fed into it and programmed to respond according to different prompts given to it.
The internet has helped AI to become the dominant force it is by allowing it to connect to the rest of the world and leverage that power. If you opt to use Optimum internet at home or in the office, you can rest assured that your journey to the moon will be nothing but smooth sailing!
Evolution of AI and the Internet
The term artificial intelligence was first used by John McCarthy at Dartmouth College in 1956. Back then, we did not have the computing power to build on it which slowed down any development. However, as the internet started to appear in the late 80s and grow in the 90s, we saw large amounts of data being generated. This was directly instrumental in the development of AI since it relies heavily on datasets to train it.
As time went on, more data was generated, the internet became faster and more stable, and more complex AI algorithms began to appear. While this went on for some time, the real push came when machine learning showed up. Machine learning is a set of processes where the AI is trained to perceive as humans do. A practical example of this is when AI systems will comb through datasets and extract insights, trends, and patterns that are used in data-driven decision-making.
More specific examples of how the internet has enabled AI to become smarter include:
Deep Learning Models
Deep learning is an AI subcategory that teaches computers to process information similar to human beings. In other words, computers are trained to learn by example. The premise behind deep learning is to create digital neural networks similar to the ones found in our brains.
Common examples of this include Recurrent Neural Networks and Convolutional Neural Networks that are capable of processing large data sets. This has allowed for immense advancement when it comes to speech recognition or image classification.
Transfer Learning
Seeing as AI and machine learning are becoming increasingly common, a large amount of research and data is generated to train AI systems. Transfer learning is defined as the process of using these pre-trained models for new jobs and tasks. This saves a lot of time and effort compared to starting over from scratch. Transfer learning has also become more common in recent times as developers find it easier to use a pre-trained model instead of beginning from nothing.
Artificial intelligence is no longer some experimental fad, it is an established field with thousands of people working. It is one of the fastest-growing fields in the entire world and its trajectory is almost vertical. Thanks to the internet, AI has been intertwined into many different areas. It has grown at an exponential level with a few common examples include:
Natural Language Processing and Chatbots
Have you ever visited a website and a popup appears asking if you need any help? That small chat that opens is powered by AI. You write down your question or query and the natural language processing reads it, understands it, and generates a response accordingly.
Recommendation Engines
A recommendation engine is defined as an information system or data filtering tool that leverages machine learning algorithms to generate recommendations based on the user’s preferences. We often see this being used in e-commerce stores or ads on social media.
Data Analytics and Business Intelligence
With all the data being generated globally, it is important to make sense of it. This data is processed using AI algorithms to extract insights, trends, and patterns that are used in data-driven decision-making. The process of collecting, compiling, organizing, storing, and processing data is known as data analytics. With AI, this process is made smarter and a lot of work can be done in a short amount of time. Once processed, this data is used by managers and executives to make decisions based on real-world findings. This is commonly known as business intelligence.
Role of the Internet in Big Data
Data collection is an important part of the world we live in. The internet has made this incredibly possible with one of the most common methods being the internet of things (IoT). This uses an extensive array of sensors and software that constantly generate data and share it in real time. The internet has made it possible for this data to be constantly generated, shared, and processed.
The internet is considered a massive directory of data from a variety of sources. Besides generating it, the internet is used to store it in cloud drives that make it accessible wherever it is needed. This allows for large-scale collaboration across departments and organizations. Sharing this data is also incredibly easy and there is a wide variety of ways that this can be done i.e. chats, email, social media, or by sharing the link for a remote drive.
At the end of the big data cycle comes data visualization. Using a wide variety of tools on the internet, data analysts can generate clear, engaging, and intuitive visualizations. These visualizations are used to make complex data more readable. Examples include graphs, charts, and many other forms. Someone using a high-speed internet connection can focus on their work knowing that their internet is one of the best in the business. AT&T is synonymous with strong, stable, and smooth internet
Conclusion
The internet as we know it has had a gargantuan impact on all walks of life. Artificial intelligence has also benefitted greatly from it in more ways than can be counted. From the large amounts of data used for data-driven decision-making to facilitating collaboration at scale and making the world smarter as a whole, the role of AI and the internet cannot be understated.
Using the internet, deploying AI systems for a variety of different applications has never been easier and at times, we don’t even notice it.
Everyone from a teenager using TikTok on their phone to a corporation with thousands of employees uses AI in one way or the other. This shows the scale of AI but also makes it important to create a system that is transparent, accountable, and fair. The internet and AI stand to make the world a much better place, more than they have already done so. There is no evident ceiling on how far this can grow if current trends are anything to go by.
