Brainstorming

• To what extent Emerging Technologies

can transform the work environment
today?
 2.1. Artificial Intelligence
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer
science that deals with the design of systems that
mimic human intelligence. AI systems are designed
to have features that only humans are capable of
such as reasoning and generalization.
 2.1.1 Branches of AI
Though there is no hard and fast way of identifying the
subfields of AI, the following groups can be considered
as branches of AI.
 A. Machine Learning
Machine Learning is the study of computer Algorithms
that enable the computer to learn from data and improve
itself without being explicitly programmed.
Machine learning algorithms learn from experience.
Unlike conventional computer algorithms with explicit
instructions that are followed by the computer to solve a
problem, machine learning algorithms allow the
A model that is built from the sample data will then be
used to make predictions that are useful for decision-
making.
Fraud detection, recommendation systems, email spam
detector, and speech recognition are some of the
examples of applications of machine learning.
 B. Robotics
Robotics is the study of machines called robots that
substitute tasks that are traditionally done by human
beings.
Over the past few decades, robots have been used
mainly in replacing human labor in routine and
mundane activities such as those that are found in car
manufacturing assembly lines
• Robots are also used in environments that are
considered hazardous to human beings like handling
radioactive wastes, underwater, and space
explorations.
• Similarly, the application of robots in the household is
also becoming common. Nowadays, robots are used at
home to do chores, assist the elderly, monitor young
children, and more.
• A robot vacuum cleaner, shown in Figure 2.3, is a well-
known example of the application of robots in homes.
• A robot vacuum cleaner is a machine that sweeps carpets
and cleans floors without human intervention.
 C. Natural Language Processing
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a branch of AI that
deals with enabling computers to understand written
and spoken human language in the same way human
beings do.
Some of the major application areas of NLP are listed
below:-
• Spam Detection: Email service providers, like Yahoo,
analyze a text in an email to check if it is spam or not
using NLP.
• Machine Translation: translation of text from one
language to another that systems, like Google
Translate, do is supported by NLP.
• Virtual Assistant: voice-operated virtual assistants
such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri use NLP.
• Sentiment Analysis: by extracting and analyzing users’ data on
social media, it is possible to learn users’ opinions (which
could be negative, positive, or neutral) about something using
NLP.
• Fake News Identification: identifying whether or not news is
trustworthy and checking the reliability of its source can be
done using NLP.
• Text Summarization: summary of a large piece of document
like academic articles can be automatically done using NLP.
 D. Expert Systems
Expert systems are computer programs that emulate
human experts. They are designed to solve problems that
are normally solved by human experts. Expert systems are
one of the earliest attempts to put the field of artificial
intelligence to the test. Some of the fields that benefit
from expert systems include medical diagnosis, petroleum
engineering, and financial investing.
An expert system consists of three components:
User Interface
Knowledge Base, and
Inference Engine.
 User Interface: this is part of the expert system that
users use to interact with the expert system. It
accepts queries from the user and forwards them to
the inference engine. It is also the means through
which users see the recommendation that the expert
system provides.
 Knowledge Base: this is the repository of knowledge
of experts in the domain area. The knowledge is
organized in the form of if-then-else rules.
 The completeness, accuracy, and precision of the
knowledge captured in the knowledge base are
central to the performance of expert systems
 Inference Engine: this is the brain of the expert
system that produces the answer by referencing the
knowledge base.
 2.1.2 Application of AI
Nowadays, the power of AI is being exploited to
efficiently solve problems in a wide range of areas. The
following are some examples of applications of AI.
 i. Online Shopping
• AI algorithms are used to dive into and process the
massive user data available in various systems to
extract personalized data about shoppers.
• The data is then used to present users with items
that they are more likely interested in, which makes
the whole shopping experience efficient and
enjoyable.
 ii. Autonomous Cars
By collecting data from sources such as GPS, vehicle radar, and
cameras, autonomous cars can function without the help of a
human agent. Although fully automated autonomous cars are not
yet on the streets, autopilot features are already implemented in
cars produced by companies like Tesla.
The trend and development in the area indicate that the era of
fully automated cars is not far away. Multiple reports indicate that
autonomous cars have great potential for improving road safety
 iii. Social Media
The size of data available on social media makes it
practically impossible to process the data using human
beings.
This is why AI has become a fundamental part of how
social networks operate today.
Social media companies, like Facebook, apply AI in
various areas such as advertising, delivery of
personalized content, facial recognition, and many
more.
 v. Surveillance
Surveillance systems can benefit significantly from
AI. For example, AI systems can automatically detect
suspicious behavior in real-time.
This can be implemented in places like
supermarkets, military and security stations, or any
place with restricted access.
 v. Agriculture
Global phenomena like climate change, food
security, and population growth are making the
application of innovative approaches in the area
of agriculture more important than ever.
AI systems are at the core of such type of
innovative approaches.
vi. Customer Service
Due to advancements in multiple areas of AI such as Natural
Language Processing (NLP), chatbots are nowadays used to
provide customer support.
A chatbot is a system that simulates human conversation
through text or voice commands.
It is a fast and cheaper way for companies to provide
support and assistance to their customers.
Healthcare
Healthcare is one of the areas with immense
potential for the application of AI. Disease diagnosis,
drug development, and hospital care are some of the
examples of applications of AI in the healthcare
sector.
 Space Exploration
Space exploration is characterized by the processing of a
massive amount of data.
AI and Machine Learning, which is one of the branches of
AI, are used to process data that assists space exploration
activities. Operations like space mission planning, data
collection, navigation, and maneuvering are supported by
AI.
• NASA, for example, uses a robot known as Robonaut
to work on the International Space Station. Robonaut
uses many of the tools that an astronaut uses and
can perform tasks that are normally done by human
beings.
 vii. Smart Homes
AI systems are abundant in what is known as smart
homes. The AI systems assist in home security,
household chores, alerting of smokes, and many more.
 Banks
• Credit cards and other forms of fraud prevalent in
the banking industry can be prevented using fraud
prevention AI.
• AI systems are used to trace the pattern in credit card
transactions and detect frauds
Search Engine
Search engines use AI systems such as NLP to
better understand user search queries.
They also use AI in ranking algorithms, which
determine in what order responses are
presented to users in reply to their search
query.
AUGMENTED REALITY
AND
VIRTUAL REALITY
 Augmented Reality
• Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that enhances
the real world by overlaying computer-generated
digital data on real-world objects.
• By blending the real world with computer-generated
information, AR creates an engaging and dynamic user
experience.
• The hardware of AR includes a processor, sensors, input
devices, and a display. Mobile devices do have all four
components to run AR applications.
• Depending on the application, however, the display could be
tablets, smartphones, head-mounted displays (HMD), or
smart glasses.
• AR works by first capturing the picture of the real-world object
through a camera.
• Then relevant information about the image like measurement
of the object, as well as other objects that are present in the
image and their relative distance from the object in focus, will
be processed by the software.
 Virtual Reality
• Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that creates a
three-dimensional computer generated simulated
environment.
• A person can interact with VR using electronic
devices such as goggles, headsets, gloves, or
bodysuits.
VR attempts to create an illusory environment that can be
presented to our senses with artificial information, making
our minds believe that it is (almost) a reality. Unlike AR, VR
creates a completely immersive experience for the user.
• Using sensors of various types, a VR environment
responds to the user’s movements and adjusts views
and perspectives in real-time.
• VR also enables users to touch and manipulate virtual
objects by way of data gloves equipped with force-
feedback devices.
• This is how a VR creates the illusion of being in a real
environment.
 The Difference between VR and AR

AUGMENTED REALITY VIRTUAL REALITY

 AR works in a real-world setting.  VR operates in a completely
It is partially immersive. virtual world. It is fully immersive.
 AR users can control their  VR users are under the control of
presence in the real world. the system.
 AR can run on familiar devices  VR requires a headset device to
such as smartphones use it.
 AR works in an environment  VR works only in a
where the real and virtual worlds fictional/simulated reality
blend.
Application of VR and AR