You've heard it reported time and again in the last few years, that AI is finally taking off in exciting new ways. Advances in generative artificial intelligence in text and art systems are impressive, this is undoubtable. There is still a lot of misunderstanding and overestimation of what AI can accomplish in and outside of this area, however.
A growing number of hardware AI implementations have recently disappointed alongside the software ones that have lived up to the hype. So where does the line lie between a useful tool and an overstated gadget, and why is AI tech being pushed so hard anyway?
"Artificial Intelligence & AI & Machine L" (CC BY 2.0) by mikemacmarketing
When It Works
The best uses of AI are the proven options that we've used for years. Remember that the basic definition of AI is the simulation of human intelligence by a machine, as explained at TechTarget. This means even many basic computer tasks are actually backed by AI. We experience hundreds of these every time we go online, we just overlook them and how useful they are because they are normalised.
For an illustration of this AI in action, consider what happens when you perform a search on Google. If you search for a casino site, for example, AI will filter results in a way that simulates human action. You might be led to a website like BonusFinder Ireland if the AI detects you’re playing from an Irish IP. Here the sorting AI on the website will find you the best websites based on ratings, offering special bonuses like deposit matches and free spins. Invisible AI security systems also run in the background, to ensure players are kept safe.
Every aspect of this kind of use is unobtrusive and perfectly connected with our regular habits. It's all just part of the software experience, and we appreciate it.
The Unnecessary Evolution
The issue today in hardware AI is the push towards AI integration in things that simply don’t need it. New wearable systems like the Humane AI Pin are prime examples of separate devices that offer little we don't already have. As TheVerge reports, this costly little gadget is supposed to act as a phone replacement. The only problem is that it functionally can’t offer what a phone does.
The AI Pin doesn't have a screen, it can only output a poor-quality display via a projector. Since you can't project darkness, this will never live up to what a screen can do. It's also slow at texting and calling, and every AI function it has can be matched by a phone app. In essence, it's like how we replaced calculators and cameras with mobile phones, only in reverse. These systems perfectly demonstrate where hardware AI tech fails, and why it can’t succeed as long as phones exist.
Why Are We Here?
In simple terms, hype. The tech industry is hugely valuable, and investors are always looking to explore the next hot thing. AI is also showing promise in some artistic systems, so the tech industry believes it has found a golden goose. The problem is that generative AI is more limited than tech investors tend to understand or care about. Hardware units only exacerbate these problems.
Like 3D TVs, we expect the current overreach of AI hardware systems to eventually die down. It won't disappear completely, but in the mainstream, these forms of little hardware systems don't offer enough to make sense. While they have potential in use cases like the visually impaired, the rest of us, for the foreseeable future, can stick with our smartphones just fine.
