Artificial Intelligence Use Cases to Expand in 2020
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to play a much greater role in 2020. This year, the technology is going to expand more into businesses and out of the proof-of-concept labs.
Techrepublic.com envisions several leading AI use-case trends in 2020, including:
Facial recognition – The technology is already being deployed in retail, banking, and insurance to identify customers, as well as in law enforcement to deter crime. Facial-recognition technologies are expected to be deployed in areas such as security and ID checking, transportation logistics, healthcare, fast food restaurants, airlines, food and beverage companies, hotels, automobiles, and the energy industry. However, customers will weigh in on what they feel are intrusions into their rights to privacy as technologies like facial recognition get deployed in more places.
Widening use of augmented reality (AR) – In 2020, more companies in entertainment and other industry sectors will launch AI-based 3D AR experiences to engage customers with their brands.
Transportation and logistics – In warehouses, self-navigating robots use AI to move pallets without a need for human intervention, and on the road, transportation companies track and trace trucks and goods to assure on-time deliveries over the safest routes. In 2020, we’ll continue to see advances in transportation automation—from software-controlled programs to more durable sensors to lighter-weight light detection and ranging (LiDar) devices.
AI-powered workers – AI-powered robots and digital assistants are taking over routine tasks in offices, on manufacturing floors, in call centers, and in military fleets. In some cases, digital workers will replace their human counterparts. Most often, human and digital workers will collaborate on work, with humans assuming responsibilities for complicated decision-making and exception handling.
Moreover, as part of the digital work revolution, more companies will implement robotic process automation (RPA), a software-driven automation technology that takes the employee-defined work rules and directs a virtual robot to do work tasks. Office tasks such as keying in data from one system to another could be automated, or a form could be checked for completeness; this enables humans to do the more complicated office jobs.
Automated preventive maintenance – Predictive maintenance enables companies to switch out and/or repair equipment before it fails, and keeps production lines moving. The Quality 4.0 Initiative blends new technologies such as Machine Learning/artificial intelligence, connected devices and operations, social media and blockchain, Big Data, Cloud computing, and more with traditional quality methods. This initiative will continue to expand worldwide, and with it, automated maintenance checks of production equipment that send alerts to plant managers when equipment needs to be serviced.
