No matter your age, degree program, or career interest, it’s important to remain up to date with technological progress. One growing field which will affect all industries is the development of artificial intelligence, or AI. Following the direction of the advancement of AI will can do more than just help you stay on top of your own industry. It can also alert you to new and growing job opportunities. For example, wouldn’t you like to have known ten years ago how important social media mastery would be in today’s marketing? Here are a few areas to watch.
Even if you’re not working in these occupations, tangential expansion is likely to affect you and your job. This is vital to keeping your resume fresh and showing your clients and superiors that you have a good understanding of what your job requires not only now, but also in the future. Skilling up today could put you at the forefront of new job opportunities.
An Example: Transportation and Autonomous Cars
Let’s take a look at just one potential transformational change where artificial intelligence is concerned. Watch the news sometime. You’ll probably hear that self-driving cars are still in the testing phase and not quite ready for market. Just like the advent and slow takeover of smartphones, this technological leap will change not only the way we drive, but many other facets of daily life.
The car insurance industry will be impacted and transformed as adjusters and courts discern who might be at fault in the event of an accident. As the configuration of cars will change, so will related industries. The automotive repair industry as well as parts suppliers and technological consultants will all undergo massive change. Driving, trucking, and overnight transportation and delivery services will likely see drastic overhauls, as well: Will we still have a UPS and FedEx with their fleets of traditional trucks, or will they adapt to a new autonomous age?
Public transportation will undergo a major shift, and just as we have become used to Uber and Lyft as a way of life, these stand to shift or disappear altogether; in fact, new companies which offer autonomous taxi service will probably rise. How about fast food? What impact will this have on energy needs and oil or gas consumption? Will driving schools still exist? If no one needs driver’s licenses, how might traditionally accept forms of identification change? How might customer service expectations, retail, heath care, traffic management, and urban planning be affected?
As you can see, this massive shift will touch many more industries than just automobiles. These are just a few potential sweeping changes which might affect our everyday lives with the cultivation of artificial intelligence.
Machine Learning and You
There are several actions to take which will protect you from AI-sparked industry disruption. Staying aware of new AI developments will keep you on the leading edge of changes we will likely face in the near future.
Change can come slowly, as it did with the ubiquity of mobile and cell phones, but many can be caught unaware by new technologies which are on the verge of becoming far more common in our daily lives. It’s important to not only become aware of the presence of artificial intelligence on the horizon; you will serve yourself and your career well by familiarizing yourself with various aspects of it. For example, each workplace will probably become more steeped in machine learning.
Machine learning is subdivision of artificial intelligence which assumes that computer programs and systems are able to discern patterns, analyze data, and make choices or come to reasonable conclusions, all without human direction. Data mining, modeling, and online behavior suggestions based on predictive elements or algorithms are all part of machine learning. For example, if you performed an online search for yellow scarves on any retail or informational site, chances are good that you will see ads for yellow scarves or similar apparel pop up on unrelated pages too. Or, if you’ve used a shopper card to get a discount while buying a certain brand of lettuce, you will likely receive coupons from the same store encouraging you to visit the produce section again. That’s a result of machine learning.
In addition to retail and advertising, machine learning is also used in fraud detection and prevention. Vote modelling, credit score calculation, and sports score projection use machine learning as well. Learning how it works and how it’s applicable can help you foresee how might affect your industry and specific job.
What About Deep Learning?
Deep learning is a subset of machine learning. It is inspired by how the human brain or nervous system works. While machine learning can be shallow and based on input alone, deep learning is based in biology. It is a specific kind of algorithm which works in layers or hierarchies. Each tier of data affects the next. Deep learning can be applied to chemistry in the formation of drugs. It can be applied in the medical field to find patterns the human eye might miss. It can even be used in speech recognition programs as well as several military applications.
Professional Development
You don’t need to wait until your industry or company begins to provide professional development training in the area of artificial intelligence. In fact, it’s best not to. Working on your own time and in a style of your choosing will help you see change coming and to be more prepared for it.
Consider putting down those addictive apps for just a few minutes a day. Dedicate that time to exploring the latest in artificial intelligence. Online workshops, community courses, software training, and discussions with those who are at the vanguard of the industry will help to prepare you for what is next in artificial intelligence and how it might affect your career.
It’s not necessary to become a predictor of the future. Nor do you need to switch into an industry that you don’t wish to work in. Educating yourself on the coming days of your field can only help you, your coworkers, and your clients.