Artificial Intelligence is becoming
more and more popular in businesses today. The use of computer systems to
perform tasks typically done by humans has increased significantly. Designers
of Watson, IBM’s supercomputer, claim that robots will be the next stage of
human-computer interaction. Currently this interaction is mostly a
two-dimensional experience. However, the goal is to add dimensions to this
process and hopefully achieve a 3D experience. Not only is the goal to enhance
the abilities of robots, but also to enhance the human experience that results
from interaction with artificially intelligent machines.
According to Mizroch, robots are currently
being used to build cars and other factory made goods. This is extremely
beneficial in the production of goods. With machines replacing humans in the
workforce, companies can effectively use bottom-line strategies. Bottom line
strategies “optimize manufacturing process, decrease transportation costs,
reduce the cost of human capital, and minimize errors in a process” (Rainer).
The article also states robot’s software analysis can be used to “interpret the
subject, tone and feeling of the conversation it is having with the human, and
instructs the robot to perform the appropriate gesture for the situation–like
nodding its head” (Mizroch). Should engineers work out the kinks in these
robots and get them to a nearly perfected status, they could potentially help
businesses in customer support roles and ease the communication barrier between
customers and business representatives. Lastly, the robot’s ability of
cognitive computing is expected to “prove an engine of growth as hardware sales
decline” (Mizroch). This is an extremely useful application of robots for the
IT industry. If sales are in decline and these new innovations could result in
greater demand for technology products, it would continue to expand the IT
market segment and help the economy grow.
While the introduction of these
robots appear to be very positive both for companies and the industry as a
whole, this article failed to point out some of the negative aspects the
addition of these products may cause. For example, with robots replacing humans
in the labor force, many low-paid, unskilled laborers will lose their jobs that
have been replaced by computers. Also, the article mentions how the ultimate goal
of these robots is to be a customer service representative. However, many people,
whether it be over the phone or in person, feel more comfortable and are more
trusting of human to human interaction. Therefore, using these computers as
customer service representatives might actually deter people from interacting
with them. Finally, if these robots were hacked, a lot of personal information
could be leaked creating a major problem. Overall, I feel the benefit of these
robots far outweigh the potential costs if used in the correct segment of the market.
Mizroch,
Amir. "Watson CTO: Personal Robots Will Come in Peace." Wall Street
Journal. Wall Street Journal, 2015.
Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Rainer, R. Kelly, Casey G.
Cegielski, and Brad Prince. Introduction to Information
Systems. 5th
ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2014. Print.
Privacy tends to be a major concern when it comes to trusting computers to deal with things humans normally do. We have seen countless examples of how easy it is to hack into systems and steal information. I think today, people can lean too much on technology. There is a lost sense of personal connection when we choose computers over people. Social skills are disappearing as people are glued to their phone.
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