Over the last decade, Artificial intelligence (AI) has become embedded in every aspect of our society and lives. From chatbots and virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to automated industrial machinery and self-driving cars, it’s hard to ignore its impact.
Today, the technology most commonly used to achieve AI is machine learning – advanced software algorithms designed to carry out one specific task, such as answering questions, translating languages or navigating a journey – and become increasingly good at it as they are exposed to more and more data.
Worldwide, spending by governments and business on AI technology will top $500 billion in 2023, according to IDC research. But how will it be used, and what impact will it have? Here, I outline what I believe will be the most important trends around the use of AI in business and society over the next 12 months.
The Ongoing Democratization of AI
AI will only achieve its full potential if it’s available to everyone and every company and organization is able to benefit. Thankfully in 2023, this will be easier than ever. An ever-growing number of apps put AI functionality at the fingers of anyone, regardless of their level of technical skill. This can be as simple as predictive text suggestions reducing the amount of typing needed to search or write emails to apps that enable us to create sophisticated visualizations and reports with a click of a mouse.