What Are The Different Types of AI?

AI is simply a tool meant to help increase efficiency and productivity in our jobs and everyday lives. So, what exactly do you need to know about the types of artificial intelligence out there? We’ll cover the different types of AI and how you can use them to your advantage:

1. Speech recognition. Virtual assistants are available with just about any device you buy these days. Every major tech company has its own AI system that uses speech recognition to perform internet searches, set reminders, translate languages, and send a text message. Voice recognition is one of the most common types of AI we use daily to make our lives easier.
2. Machine learning. Typically, computers can do only what they’re programmed to do. Complex programming can make for dynamic software that allows for everything from photo editing to running thousands of simulations in a matter of seconds. However, machine learning goes beyond this. Machines can learn to make informed decisions based on analytics, algorithms, and statistical models. The end result is software that can adapt to how you use it. Search engines, retailers, and investment companies use machine learning programs to improve your user experience and provide personalized recommendations for search results, products, and investment opportunities, respectively.
3. Deep learning. We talked previously about machine learning. Deep learning is different from machine learning because it uses artificial neural networks to function like a human brain. There are multiple hidden layers of neural networks (typically two or three, sometimes up to 150) in an algorithm that works together to “teach” the system recognition of anything from simple images to cancer cells. The algorithms will produce analytics that can be used to project future outcomes based on past events, simulations, and predictive models.

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4. Virtual representatives. There are millions of online shops of all sizes. From the mom-and-pop boutiques that operate out of a studio apartment to the multi-national enterprise retailers we shop at every day, they all have some form of customer service. AI virtual agents are becoming more and more common, so these companies don’t have to staff a 24-hour customer service department. AI chatbots can answer common inquiries, so minor issues don’t need to be elevated beyond a simple chat. They can be programmed to direct customers toward an FAQ page or informative articles or help them contact a human if the problem is beyond the bot’s capabilities.
5. Natural language generation. Using AI, someone can gain the information necessary to write a script for a presentation, essay, video and beyond. Natural language generation does have its limits and can sometimes be identified by a somewhat robot cadence. But the technology is improving to the point where it can often relay the info pretty naturally—and even present it—using natural voice inflection so the average person can’t identify that it’s a machine doing the work.

6. Decision management. Businesses have protocols in place to help make decision-making easier at any given moment. Consider a football team preparing for a big game by playing nearly every scenario on the field—then establishing the play they’ll run in any given situation. Decision management using AI can run simulations to help predict specific scenarios a business might come across, then suggest the best way to proceed. This can lead to swift action that makes it easier to pivot as needed or respond to a crisis.
7. Biometrics. Do you use facial recognition software to unlock your phone? That’s AI! Biometric technology AI uses augmented reality solutions to recognize your facial features whenever you hold your device up in front of you. In fact, it’s so finely tuned that it can recognize you even with minor changes like facial hair, makeup, eyeglasses, etc. The biometric AI system looks at the geometry of the face by remembering the distance between the eyes, distance from the forehead to the chin, depth of eye sockets, shapes of cheekbones, and contours of the ears, chin, and lips.

Hopefully, this will help you recognize the different types of AI out there—so you can feel more confident interacting with them in your everyday life.