Are we on the verge of the Next Revolution?
By: Jafarbek Ulmasov
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Future, Automation, Digitalization, Revolution

We are entering a new age. This is the age in which our smartphones become smarter, in which our houses get smart and talk to us, in which machines empower humans in the workplace, and in which human values change. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will reshape society. They can disrupt our lives by replacing jobs, but they also release untold opportunities.

So what is the next revolution exactly? How is it different from the Industrial Revolution? When will it begin? How should we be prepared? To answer these questions, I have written this post.

Artificial Intelligence, referred to as AI, is simply computers that can mimic humans’ actions, learn from their mistakes, and solve problems just like humans do, based on what information they have. The importance of AI to the next revolution is like the importance of steam power to the First Industrial Revolution. AI will fuel all the changes in the next 30–50 years. You may question its inevitability. But here is what history tells us.

Industrial Age vs Digital Age

Since the first furnaces of the Industrial Age were lit, much has changed. People started to utilize steam and water power. Nichola Tesla and Thomas Edison invented electricity. Henry Ford made steam-powered horses available to average Americans. Factories were mechanized and mass production began. These inventions made a way for the first PCs, and then the Digital Age began. People started to turn their offices into digital files and folders. And the greatest invention of the Digital Age was when Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. Since then, people and businesses started to adopt “web-lifestyle”. Consequently, our addiction to the web and social media tools we use today resulted in the emergence of cloud data that is at the core of AI. What is next? “Cognification Age”?

I can confidently say that the Cognification Age, the term I use to refer to the next revolution, is already with us. Today we can see thousands of applications of AI around us. The most popular example among them would be Netflix’s algorithms that produce personal recommendations for everyone, or airplane auto-pilot mode that controls the plane for most of the time during your flight. Another example is Tesla’s self-driving cars. All of these super AI minds are powered by the cloud data that they constantly receive and operate on. Every time you watch your favorite Netflix series, for example, Netflix’s algorithms record your activity and recommends a similar film next time. Similarly, the “mind” of the Tesla cars rides its body on the highways because of the data that show how humans drive cars. These and other such powerful devices and items will empower humans in the future.

Automation or creation of new jobs?

However, many criticize these inventions and question the automation of jobs. Indeed, AI will eventually replace many routine and optimization job positions, such as cashiers, ticket clerks, data entry clerks, etc. But at the same time, it will create new jobs and possibilities for humans. In fact, there will be hundreds of thousands of new roles, such as Big Data specialists, robotics specialists, Machine Learning specialists, and so on.

In general, AI is here to give humans extra power, not replace them. AI will touch every field, be it medicine, law, politics, tourism, education, and even art. Imagine telling your doctor and his AI assistant about the symptoms you are having, and receiving an immediate diagnosis and recommended treatment, that are derived from the data of thousands of previous patients who reported the same symptoms and eventually recovered, which is what IBM is now developing. Imagine an AI application that can compose music that matches your moves when dancing. These changes all sound exciting.

Recently, researchers from Google Health and Imperial College London designed and trained an AI model to diagnose breast cancer. The model was built using X-ray images from nearly 30,000 women. Unsurprisingly, the algorithm outperformed a team of six radiologists in diagnosing breast cancer. Researchers around the world are now working on a similar model to diagnose not easily-detected diseases. These models will help doctors detect these diseases more accurately and treat patients better.

For these and many other reasons, I am optimistic about the changes Cognification Age brings, and want to contribute to its development. I consider this the greatest revolution ever. Although no one can predict when it will boom and impact everyone’s life as the Internet did in the 1990s, everyone can predict that these changes are inevitable.

How should we be prepared for this new age? I will write another article addressing this question in my next post.

Leave your thoughts below. Thank you for reading. Stay safe!