AI – is What, Exactly?

AI this, AI that … If you feel the term is coming at you from all directions these days, you’re right! AI (or ‘artificial intelligence’) is in the news big-time, sometimes because of the advantages it affords, and sometimes because of concerns about the problems it could give rise to. But just what is AI, what could it become in the future, and does it offer any benefits to seniors?

Scientists (and sci-fi writers) have always been chasing the ultimate computer programme that could ‘think’ like a human – only better. AI is currently the closest we’re getting to fulfilling this dream.

Before we delve into AI, let’s take a step back, to something we’ve all become used to over the last ten years or so – apps. These handy little computer programmes are downloadable onto our mobile phones and/or desktops as cute icons. They include everything from simple calculators to exercise and budget-trackers, and parking-meter time purchasers. While many apps are able to analyse the information we give them to a degree (a fitness app, for example, may tell you how many calories you’re likely to have burned in a day), they’re pre-programmed, so there’s a limit to what other benefits they can provide.

AI is also delivered through computer programmes, but it’s designed to ‘learn’ and ‘adapt’ in similar ways to the human mind (AI uses data patterns to improve its responses). Let’s take a regular step-counting app as a fictitious example, and assume you’ve set yours to give you a daily ‘head-out-for-a-walk’ reminder at 10am. An AI-enhanced app may (because it has the ability to access your local weather in real-time) recognise that you ignore your reminder whenever it’s raining. So, in future, it sends you your daily ‘head-out-for-a-walk’ reminder only when the weather is fine (and offers you an alternative indoor exercise activity if it’s wet all day).

If it all sounds a bit spooky, bear in mind you may already be experiencing AI, without even realising it. Take online shopping, for example. When you go to click on the groceries you want to buy, you may find the ‘specials’ that pop onto your screen are for items you routinely purchase. If you’re a movie-streamer, AI may already be offering you suggestions of movies which are ‘similar to those you’ve enjoyed before.’ If this is the case, AI is ‘learning’ from choices and behaviours you’ve exhibited before. So, what could go wrong?

One of the concerns people have about AI, is it may ‘narrow’ our choices and the reasons we have for making them. To head back to our online shopping example, you may be happy to receive notifications of ‘specials,’ but what if a healthier alternative to a regularly purchased item appears on the digital supermarket shelves? If you’re always heading only to the AI-suggested specials instead of browsing, will you become aware of the healthier option? Or become aware of it in time to  positively affect your health? And when it comes to AI’s movie suggestions, if you’re always being encouraged to ‘choose a movie similar to the ones you’ve watched before,’ does it impact your potential to broaden your horizons?

The positives and the negatives of AI are still being explored. But for now, some seniors are already appreciating AI for its ability to alert them to unusual online-transactions they may not have personally made, or to notify a carer or emergency service of a fall. AI virtual computer assistants such as ‘Siri’ or ‘Alexa’ (which can recognise voice commands) are helping seniors, who may not be able to manage a keyboard, to stay connected with friends and family.

Given AI is still in its infancy, it will pay to ‘watch this space!’