What is Artificial Intelligence (For Designers)
What does AI-enabled mean? This quick introduction explains AI in plain language for product designers.
• Examples of AI-enabled products.
• Main components of AI.
This may shock you, but AI has existed since the 1950's. The first ever AI program, the Logic Theorist, was developed in 1955 by three scientists at the RAND Corporation. AI was birthed in the shadow of the Cold War when America was building the ICBM program, and the space program was in its infancy.
So, what is AI?
AI is when a machine can perform tasks just like a human would. You won't be able to tell the difference if a person completed the task or the computer.
So what's the end goal? AI is the pursuit of assigning machines (computers) with tasks that normally require human intelligence. Tasks like reasoning, learning, problem-solving, perception, and understanding natural language.
This latest AI growth cycle is possible because of the massive dataset growth as internet usage exploded. Google has been at the center of this latest AI boom since the early 2000s because of its unique needs as the prominent search company in the world.
Examples
Natural language processing (NLP), such as chatbots and virtual assistants, is an example of AI being applied in software. Everyone has talked to a chatbot at this point.
The thing to note, though, is that AI covers the ML and deep learning techniques required to process large amounts of data to make the Chabot usable. So, in reality, when we say something is AI-enabled. It means that one of the subfields of AI has been applied to solve a problem and took over the task of a human.
Examples of AI in the real world.
- You receive an email from your bank indicating unusual transactions. This could indicate fraudulent behavior. You review the transactions and flag them as fraudulent.
- You are a farmer and use John Deere tractors equipped with sensors and cameras that use computer vision to check crop health.
- You are browsing Netflix, and movies based on your history are suggested.
Main Components of AI
AI is a broad technology nested within the field of computer science. But it's more than just math and computer science. It covers a lot of different domains. The two main components of AI are machine learning (ML) and deep learning.
AI Subfields
Although ML is probably the most prominent subfield of AI, many different subfields, such as natural language processing and computer vision, drive innovation in tech and beyond.
- Machine Learning (Yes, ML is a subfield of AI)
- Information Retrieval/Search Algorithms
- AI Planning and Scheduling
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
- Emotion AI (Affective Computing)
- Robotics
- Speech Recognition
- Knowledge Representation and Reasoning
- Computer Vision
Designer Perspective
The important thing to take away from this post is when someone says their product is AI-enabled. Ask them specifically which subfield is enabling the product to be run by a computer.
With chatbots its easy, it's the subfield of NLP. For example, a skin cancer screening app most likely uses computer vision and ML. A product team that personalizes search on a large website most likely leverages information retrieval/search algorithms and ML to improve the search experience.
See which subfields align with your skill set and background and become familiar with broad concepts of that subfield. When you start to interview design roles with AI/ML requirements, you want to stand out and show the interview panel how well-versed you are in the specific AI subfield they are working in.
References
Artificial Intelligence Basics
ChatGPT
Written by Leo Vroegindewey, B2B CX Consultant
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