Fields of application of AI

Dear Blog Readers,

With this article, I would like to give you an overview of the numerous application areas of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has long since become part of our everyday lives, and we often just don't recognize it or aren't aware of it. 

Online shopping has been popular not just since the Corona pandemic. For retailers, it means on the one hand that another sales channel is available. But it also means that a lot of data is available for analyzing buying behavior. This is very helpful for optimizing products and planning inventories and logistics. Thanks to artificial intelligence, this data can be used to make personalized recommendations to consumers so that they are visited at any time according to their very individual preferences. 

We are also constantly accompanied by artificial intelligence in our Internet searches. Because search engines learn from the data we enter, we are only shown search results that are personally relevant to us. Google is the absolute pioneer when it comes to artificial intelligence in search engines. According to its own statements, Google wants to "understand and analyze the whole world" by means of artificial intelligence. Every search query at Google is analyzed with a language understanding system and as soon as an error is detected, the search engines suggests an alternative. Through a spelling algorithm based on a neural network, the search engine also recognizes errors in the input of search terms and corrects them. Google thus recognizes what the user actually wanted to search for. 

Our smartphone is no longer just for phone calls and messages. Our smartphone is our own personal digital assistant. Smartphones use artificial intelligence for optimal personalization, i.e. individual recommendations, answering questions and much more. To do this, smartphones are provided with specific information and remember the user's individual interests. Artificial intelligence is used in three areas in smartphones: 1. voice operation and translation 2. battery life and performance 3. photo and image recognition. 

Another application area of artificial intelligence is automatic translation. It is based on so-called deep learning. A source text is translated into a target text completely automatically, with impressive quality. However, artificial intelligence reaches its limits when it comes to technical terms, grammar and cross-sentence correlations, so that human reworking is necessary. 

Saving energy with the help of artificial intelligence - that's what AI-controlled thermostats make possible. They learn from the usage behavior of the occupants of the house and notice faults, such as an open window with the heating turned on at the same time. The heating is then turned off under AI control. Artificial intelligence is also playing an increasingly important role in urban planning by optimizing the control of buildings. Artificial intelligence is also being used in urban planning to optimize traffic flows, to control power grids, and to provide incentives for the use of public transportation.

Self-driving cars have not yet become part of our everyday lives, but the road ahead is not far. We are already benefiting from numerous AI-supported safety functions in cars, with automatic sensors detecting dangerous situations. Navigation is also becoming increasingly intelligent. Artificial intelligence also protects us on the Internet. For example, AI can help detect cyberattacks by identifying patterns and tracing attacks. 

Very recent is the use of artificial intelligence against Covid19. It is being used to provide data that tracks the spread of the virus. Even more exciting is the use of AI software in diagnostics. This new AI technology analyzes CT images of the lungs, detects signs of the coronavirus, and evaluates the changes. This saves a lot of time for the treating physician, which is very important in times of pandemic. 

After these numerous examples of the use of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives, we will now take a look at the use of artificial intelligence in the manufacturing sector, where the strongest momentum is currently being seen. For example, AI software is used within industrial production processes for the maintenance of machines. AI detects impending machine failure ahead of time by reading sensors and maintenance logs. Production output can be significantly increased through automation while improving productivity, effectiveness and efficiency. Finally, quality control can also be improved with the help of AI.

As you can see, there are almost no limits to the use of artificial intelligence and its development is progressing rapidly. One particularly useful field of application is the use of artificial intelligence for the purpose of sustainability. Artificial intelligence can help reduce food waste and conserve resources. Find out how in our blog article #4!