AI and Machine Learning Trends for 2018: What to Expect

We’ve already seen more than we expected to in the world of AI with VR in video games, IoT in medicine, and smart cities being brought to life. We are really close to living in some sort of sci-fi movie, so it’s a good idea to take a look at the most possible and promising machine learning and AI trends for the upcoming year and ask ourselves if we are ready for them.

Healthcare Sector: Too Much Is Going on and Everything Is Amazing

Healthcare is one of the biggest and most crucial industries in the world — no wonder it’s the one that is heavily using the latest technologies. First of all, with artificial intelligence and big data, scientists will soon get the opportunity to prevent certain diseases, like cancer. AI can analyze patients' history and records to understand the mechanisms of disease and enable doctors to be proactive instead of reactive. Secondly, there are more and more intelligent prostheses popping up, which offers a lot of opportunities for both doctors and patients. Such prostheses are able to distinguish images, light, pressure, etc. and are already a great breakthrough.

Finally, let’s not forget about AI and robots — together, they make robot assistants. They can come in many forms — from virtual nurses in smartphones that are able to recognize warning signs and call for help to real robots that can monitor patients, alarm doctors, and send notifications in case of emergency.

Overall, artificial intelligence creates an amazing opportunity to make the healthcare system more efficient for medical workers and the patients. Because the chance of a machine making a mistake is much less than a human making a mistake, the state of medicine will shift to a whole new level.

Financial Sector: Fewer Risks, More Accuracy

It’s well-known that machine learning and AI are great when it comes to big data, analytics, and routine tasks that can be performed by a machine. AI minimizes the chances of error and is able to build predictions based on previous data — and these predictive models are used in predictive analytics when one wants to prevent fraud or anything similar. Besides, predictive analytics may help companies minimize their risks in the future, estimate development costs, and much more. This is something any company should be interested in because it is:

• Money-saving
• Much more efficient compared to analytics done by people
• More accurate
• Able to build large, complex reports out of big data

Of course, certain processes will still be performed by people. However, the application of AI will make the financial industry more stable and efficient.

Personal Assistants and Better Customer Experience

We all know Siri and Cortana, and now, it’s time to get even more personal assistants in our everyday life. The simplest of them is an example of chatbots, which are getting more complex and intelligent. Due to data analysis, the system will be able to learn everything about customer behavior patterns and personal preferences. Based on all this data, the assistant will be able to offer better services.

Such assistants are perfect for marketing professionals, as they will allow building stronger connections between the product and the user and will provide valuable information that can be used to build more effective marketing campaigns.

Rise of Robotics

As mentioned above, we will see the more heavy use of robots in 2018 — and not only in the sphere of medicine. From intelligent drones to robots in manufacturing facilities, robotization is aimed at making our lives easier, so it’s one of the hottest trends that we can expect in the near future. Even though there is a concern that robots may replace people at work, there will always be operators and those who construct these robots, so no need to panic. But it might be a good idea to start learning about robotization, especially if you work in the IT industry.

Summing up, AI and machine learning are dedicated to simplifying our lives and work processes and improving certain industries to our benefit. There are and will be, obviously, certain concerns (such as cybersecurity, for example) — but all in all, 2018 is promising to be really exciting in terms of new AI technologies and their applications.

And looking back at 2017, check out CBinsights AI 100 2017.