Real-life rarely lives up to our science fiction daydreams. For instance, if you think of artificial intelligence, you might think of Lieutenant Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, or a very young Haley Joel Osmont in the 2001 film A.I.. If you’re a pessimist, you might even think of HAL 9000 from the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. But the reality is that most artificial intelligence has far less personality than any of the big and small screen versions we grew up with. We might not even realize all the ways that artificial intelligence interacts with our lives. Learn how SetSchedule, Amazon, and others are using artificial intelligence in unexpected ways.
The SetSchedule AI is a Real Estate Nerd
One thing sci-fi got right is that artificial intelligence is great at math. No matter what an AI does, it’s probably based on some sort of mathematic model. Consider the machine learning algorithm used by real estate tech platform SetSchedule. This faceless AI exists to crunch market data in order to generate leads for real estate agents. SetSchedule isn’t trying to understand this human emotion called love, it just wants to know when you’re going to sell your house and what your asking price will be.
Amazon Constantly Finds New Uses for AI
Amazon’s Alexa, alongside other virtual assistants from other companies, probably most closely fits our image of artificial intelligence. But a smart speaker who can answer trivia questions and order more paper towels is only one AI application used at the retail tech giant. Recently, Amazon has been testing a new personal fitness tracker that not only tracks your physical fitness but your emotional state. Using a language processing algorithm, the fitness tracker pays attention to your tone of voice throughout the week and gives you feedback on how you communicate and your potential mood.
Who knew, all this time that AI spent trying to master empathy and feelings, they were just training to help us master our own emotions.
Netflix, Pandora, and Others Help You Find More of What You Like
Have you ever wondered how your favorite entertainment platforms figure out what to recommend that you listen to, watch, or read next? It’s probably an AI, which knows you almost as much as you know yourself! These algorithms track common themes in the media you consume, in order to serve up more media with aspects that you like. At Pandora, this is called “musical DNA” and covers over 400 musical attributes, including whether the drums sound “wet” or “dry”. Did you know that drums are wet or dry? I promise after listening to just a few tracks you’ll actually figure out what that means.
Virtual Influencers in a Virtual World
While we don’t yet have lifelike androids populating our workplaces, some artificial intelligence are already impersonating humans. Social media is populated by a variety of AI influencers, digitally created personalities whose images are carefully designed to capture an aesthetic, which they then share through procedurally generated content. These virtual influencers can be popular with brands, as they are easier to control than human influencers. You never have to worry that an AI once dressed up as Hitler for Halloween, or that they’ll decide to promote your competitor’s product.
From SetSchedule determining the value of your home, to digital influencers giving you skin care tips, it looks like AI is here to stay.
