Augmented Intelligence
As artificial intelligence continues to develop, it is a common notion that the technology will soon replace human intelligence, remove humans from the decision-making process, and take over all our jobs. The emerging concept of augmented intelligence, on the other hand, focuses on creating a synergy between humans and machines. It involves the deployment of AI systems designed to enhance human capabilities rather than replace them, thus boosting productivity and efficiency. This glossary will cover all you need to know about augmented intelligence systems, how they work, and their applications in today’s world.
What is augmented intelligence?
Augmented intelligence is a human-centred partnership paradigm that combines human intelligence with machine intelligence. Augmented intelligence is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that focuses on leveraging the strengths of both humans and artificial intelligence by having people collaborate with AI to improve cognitive performance and decision-making. Augmented intelligence moves away from the popular belief that machines will replace humans and instead relies on humans and machines working together to complement and enhance each other’s capabilities, thus streamlining a business’s operations and processes.
What is the difference between augmented intelligence and artificial intelligence?
The aim of artificial intelligence is to mimic human thinking when analysing data to come to rational conclusions, automate processes, and make important decisions independent of human interference. Augmented intelligence, on the other hand, uses modern AI technologies like machine learning and deep learning to rapidly analyse large amounts of data while still keeping human counterparts in the loop. In this way, augmented intelligence aims to assist humans rather than replace them by providing the insights needed to make smarter, informed decisions and take appropriate action.
How does augmented intelligence work?
Augmented intelligence incorporates machine learning tools to collect, analyse, and interpret structured as well as unstructured data from various sources. However, rather than being restricted to a traditional AI system’s extremely narrow view of information and data, augmented intelligence systems benefit from a broader view that incorporates human qualities such as common sense, intuition, creativity, ethical judgement, and more into the decision-making process. Using AI to speed up operations but still maintaining a human element in the decision-making process can be extremely beneficial, especially during unexpected circumstances.
What are some of the applications of augmented intelligence?
Augmented intelligence systems are being used to streamline decision-making, enhance efficiency, improve productivity, and boost innovation across several sectors. A few of these are mentioned below.
Self-driving cars
While we might believe that self-driving vehicles, such as Teslas, can operate independently of human oversight and intervention, this is not the case. In fact, such vehicles are a prime example of augmented intelligence in action. While the AI software these vehicles are equipped with makes them capable of autonomous navigation, human intervention is required in certain circumstances, such as unforeseeable emergencies.
The retail industry
Augmented intelligence can be used to gather and scrutinise large amounts of data and help store owners streamline their operations. Augmented intelligence can be used to analyse storefront and customer data and make suggestions on product placement for the most significant impact or highlight bottlenecks that may be impeding sales. Once the system makes these suggestions or flags areas or processes that can be optimised, it is up to the human component to take action based on these suggestions.
The healthcare industry
Augmented intelligence systems can also be used to benefit the healthcare industry by helping medical professionals analyse large amounts of patient data quickly and efficiently. These systems can also scrutinise massive medical image libraries to help doctors arrive at diagnoses sooner.
As generative ai systems get more and more widespread and capable, augmented intelligence offers us an avenue to amplify progress through an efficient and impactful collaboration between humans and intelligent machines. Augmented intelligence has the potential to enhance innovation and boost productivity across a number of diverse areas by taking advantage of the growing capabilities of AI while still depending on human intellect and qualities to make important decisions.
