Tools like ChatGPT have helped ‘unmask’ AI and bring new ideas and questions to the consumer market. However, developing, using and regulating artificial intelligence are nothing new…
Have you used ChatGPT yet? And if not, why not!?
The Open-AI app has been used by developers to write software, by students to write essays, scientists to write research papers and musicians to write tunes, as well as being deployed as a means of drafting email responses, answer detailed questions and assist with everyday tasks. In fact, the artificial intelligence tool has been such a hit with time-poor, creativity-lacking internet users that in January it reportedly set the record for the fastest user growth, reaching 100 million active users just two months after launch.
Regulating robots
Once seen as something futuristic and associated with advanced technologies, artificial intelligence now walks among us. No longer relegated only to high-tech IT pros, the problem-solving, content-creating abilities of AI are now easily accessible to all, thanks in large part to tools like ChatGPT. The reaction to this has been mixed. Universities and education establishments are re-thinking their approach to tackling plagiarism, for instance, while tech companies have called for the regulation of AI.
ChatGPT may be new, but artificial intelligence tools and the topic of regulation are not. The technology was explored by Alan Turing in his 1948 paper Intelligent Machinery, for instance, while questions around regulation have evolved in line with its development. An early example of this is 2012’s ROBOLAW, a European research project designed to better understand the legal and ethical implications of robotic technologies and look into the need for legal frameworks.
While novel uses of AI – did you see the photos of the Pope sporting an on-trend puffa jacket last month? – have encouraged uptake of these tools, their use and the AI software development behind them have been around for years. Artificial intelligence has long been embedded in software and applications that are integral to business operations in numerous and diverse industries.
AI software development and big tech
Amazon launched AWS in 2006, Google’s Cloud Platform became available in 2008 and Microsoft introduced Azure in 2010. These tools have been used by companies to modernise and accelerate processes, gather insights from massive data sets, and train machine learning models.
Many of us have therefore been using AI software for years, and an even greater number of us have been benefitting from this as end users of AI-driven services. On the business side, think identifying trends in data, predicting consumer demand and forecasting trends. On the customer side, think ecommerce product recommendations, personalisation of search engine results and call centre communication.
Building bespoke artificial intelligence
AI software development is also nothing new for us at AppDrawn. For years we’ve been building bespoke applications and business systems that utilise artificial intelligence. These include a recent project for Oxford International Digital Institute (OIDI). We built a solution from scratch, incorporating automation and AI to improve OIDI’s English online language testing for both students and examiners. We incorporated features like facial recognition and eye movement technology, for instance, to identify students taking the test on the online platform and analyse their movements to prevent plagiarism.
The potential uses of AI in a business setting are huge – you only need to look at the dizzying array of features available on whitelabel solutions as proof. But there’s no point having AI tools with a lot of features if your team don’t know how to use them or they’re not the right fit for your business.
Old tools, new intelligence
This is where our years of AI software development come in. We work closely with all of our customers to build bespoke solutions with embedded artificial intelligence that help to solve specific problems. Our team of AI software developers have years of experiencing building and utilising artificial intelligence technology, meaning we’re able to implement all of the functionalities of these tools into our customised platforms.
Users of ChatGPT and the like will no doubt continue to find new, innovative (or, let's face it, just plain silly!) ways of exploring the possibilities of AI. At AppDrawn, we’ll also continue to explore how we can implement automation and AI, albeit in a business setting. These tools may be nothing new, but the technology is always improving, there’s always more to learn and there’ll always be more – and better – ways of solving problems for our customers.