Artificial Intelligence (AI) took the world by storm in 2022 with the public availability of generative AI tool ChatGPT, capturing the curiosity of industries worldwide.
Since then, generative AI’s influence has been nothing short of transformative, reshaping how businesses operate and how we interact with technology.
From the early days when AI was envisioned to mimic human intelligence, we have witnessed remarkable strides in its capabilities and applications.
Today, AI is not just a concept but a cornerstone of modern tech advancement, and we have witnessed its applications in various industry sectors. However, this is just the start of the AI journey.
With AI Appreciation Day being commemorated on 16th July 2024, Bisham Kishnani, Head of Security Engineering, APAC & Japan, and Abhishek Kumar Singh, Head of Singapore’s Security Engineering team, Check Point Software explore AI’s past, present, and future, navigating through their reflections on the technology, common misconceptions, and hopes for this transformative technology.
How has the perception of AI changed from its early days to now?
Abhishek: AI’s evolution has undergone significant shifts over the years. Initially, in the 1950s and 1960s, there was a lot of excitement about AI potentially replicating human thought.
However, as researchers delved deeper, they realised achieving human-like intelligence and empathy was far more challenging than anticipated, including the complexity of human cognition, like contextual understanding, emotional intelligence, and ethical reasoning.
Additionally, AI struggles with learning from unstructured experiences and generalizing knowledge across different contexts, making true human-like adaptability difficult to attain.
Today, AI is everywhere, from voice assistants and medical diagnostics, showcasing its power and utility. Yet, concerns about privacy, job displacement, and fairness persist. I think the current perception of AI is balanced, acknowledging both its potential and the complexities it introduces.
Bisham: Over time, AI has transitioned from being confined to niche applications to become more accessible and widespread, with ubiquitous integration across diverse sectors, from consumer products to industrial solutions.
This democratization of AI fosters innovation, promising continued advancements. This is just the beginning. As AI matures, perceptions are evolving towards recognizing its transformative potential.
What are some of the industries that have transformed thanks to AI?
Abhishek: In many countries, we can see that AI has revolutionized industries. According to the recent IDC report, Asia/Pacific (Including Japan) Digital-Native Businesses’ Attitude Toward Generative AI, 26% of Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) digital native businesses have already invested in GenAI in 2023, while 44% are doing some initial exploration of its potential use cases.
In healthcare, it accelerated diagnostics and treatment precision.
Finance benefits from AI-driven fraud detection and investment strategies.
Retail optimizes customer insights and inventory management. Manufacturing leverages on the tech to predict maintenance needs and ensures product quality.
Transportation sees efficiency gains with AI-powered route planning and autonomous vehicles.
AI also aids education in personalizing learning and supports educators with administrative tasks.
Bisham: AI’s impact spans all sectors, enhancing cyber security with threat detection and real-time response capabilities and will continue to have greater impact in the future. This is also highlighted by analyst firm Gartner who predicts that GenAI will be a workforce partner for 90% of companies worldwide by 2025.
Consumer applications include automated tasks and personalized services. In banking, AI boosts operational efficiency and customer experience through data analytics and fraud prevention.
Healthcare advances include faster diagnostics and surgical precision, transforming patient care.
What are some common misconceptions about AI that need to be addressed?
Abhishek: One huge misconception is – AI cannot be wrong. In reality, AI can make mistakes and give wrong information, known as hallucinations.
Not to forget, there is also the risk of data poisoning where an AI model is trained on data that has been intentionally manipulated or corrupted.
Another misconception is that AI will benefit everyone equally. The truth is that not everyone has the same access to AI technologies and the skills to use them, so the benefits are not always evenly spread.
Bisham: A common concern we always hear about AI is the fear of job displacements. According to a recent study done by the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO), AI, GenAI will more likely augment jobs, than destroy them although effects will vary significantly between regions and professions.
Personally, I believe the opposite is true. I think it will actually create more jobs and improve the quality of life by solving and addressing complex challenges and problems.
Similar concerns arose when hyperscalers first entered the market, but the cloud has proven to transform technology, spurred innovation and created more jobs than it eliminated.
As we progress on the AI journey, perceptions are changing and will continue to evolve.
What are some emerging AI technologies that are exciting?
Abhishek: New AI tech are already making waves! For example, generative AI has enabled the possibility of advanced chatbots and the creating of images and music (in seconds!), and that has enhanced the creative industry immensely and improved sectors like customer service and entertainment.
Bisham: One of the tech trends I’m excited about is multi-modality. With this, AI can combine text, numbers, images, and videos to achieve more accurate and enhanced outcomes, paving the way for a more comprehensive experience. I believe that as we move forward, multi-modality will continue to expand.
Another exciting trend is the development of small language models and advancements in open source. These innovations are democratizing AI, enabling it to run on smaller, local devices such as edge computing, IoT devices, and smartphones. This also helps mitigate many privacy and cybersecurity concerns.
Additionally, small language models make AI more explainable. The larger the model, the harder it is to pinpoint how and where it makes important decisions. Explainable AI is essential for understanding, improving, and trusting the outputs of AI systems.
Where do you hope to see AI advance to in the next 5 years?
Abhishek: I see AI making a big difference in our lives. In smart cities, AI might be able to manage traffic lights based on real-time traffic to reduce jams and optimize streetlight usage.
Self-driving cars could make our roads safer. AI also plays a crucial role in cybersecurity, quickly identifying and stopping cyber-attacks before they harm our devices.
Businesses could benefit from AI by predicting machine maintenance needs, avoiding unexpected breakdowns. Clear rules are essential to ensure AI systems deliver accurate results.
Looking ahead, advances in quantum computing and AI could lead to more secure communication methods, enhancing privacy and safety in our digital interactions. These innovations promise to simplify daily tasks and spur further innovation across various sectors.
Bisham: AI will become a household standard tool for every consumer and business. If not in 5 years, then certainly in 10 years, AI will be integral to daily life.
It will provide doctors with accurate diagnostic result, help detect diseases like cancer earlier and assist in precise surgeries, making recovery faster.
At home, it can connect all home appliances into a centralized AI ecosystem, which will manage household chores and safeguard homes while the occupants are at work or on vacation.
Businesses will rely heavily on AI tools to analyze data and predict trends, as well as to launch new solutions and products.
