Artificial Intelligence Moves to the Cloud

We continue to introduce 10 innovations driving the global business and communications landscape, as identified by the Vizeum Innovation Team.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made leaps in evolution, now equipped with self-learning capabilities that are encroaching on domains once thought exclusive to humans. Today, AI can instantly identify individual faces, understand conversational context, and make decisions based on information.

While AI itself isn't new, its recent shift to cloud-based systems has granted it massive processing power without burdening individual devices. AI systems from IBM, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and even Airbnb have quietly integrated into our daily lives.

In this new world, AI processes vast amounts of data searches and automatically generates logical flowcharts. From generating stock market reports to optimizing retail operations, humans are collaborating with machines at an unprecedented level.

CogniToys, the first toy powered by IBM's Watson AI. The dinosaur character adapts its conversation based on each child's language skills, interests, and developmental progress.

Online shoe retailer Shoes.com has introduced a "visual filter" powered by AI. It recommends products based on what items users viewed and how long they spent looking at them.

What will 2016 bring?

Open access to cloud-based AI will enable its integration into vast numbers of products, from large corporations to small businesses. While music speakers that learn listeners' preferences, like Cone and Prizm, will continue to emerge, comprehensive business models like Google's Works with Nest smart home platform are expected to become the hub for IoT-enabled smart homes. In a living environment where everything is connected and integrated online, we will increasingly entrust AI with decisions down to the finest adjustments.