Week 10 Response -- Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms

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This post is in response to the question “What is the most popular form of artificial intelligence in the United States and why?” posed by @reagan.sturges

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is the creation of programs or machines that “mimic human intelligence to perform tasks and can iteratively improve themselves based on the information they collect” (“What is,” n.d.). We encounter A.I. in everyday life, from vehicles we pass on the road, to the devices we carry in our pockets, some form of artificial intelligence is always surrounding us.

Popular Artificial Intelligence Uses in the U.S.

I tend to believe that the most popular, and most accessible, form of A.I. to the American public comes from the social media platforms that 240 million U.S. citizens actively use (Dean, 2021). It is not necessarily the social media platforms themselves that are products of A.I., but rather the algorithms that have been incorporated into nearly all corners of the internet.

Algorithms are data-driven systems that “take the reins of determining which content to delivery to you based on your behavior” (Barnhart, 2021). These algorithms are considered A.I. due to the fact they use “machine learning” to determine what you are most likely to interact with (Barnhart, 2021).

Companies, marketers, and social platforms all use this A.I. function to tailor your social media “feed” for you specifically. These algorithms determine the friend suggestions you receive and the recommended articles and ads that are suggested to you in the hopes of either increasing the amount of time or money you spend on social media (Marr, 2019).

Why Algorithms are So Popular

I believe that these algorithms are the most popular form of A.I. used by the average person. This is not only due to the vast amount of people that are connected through social media platforms, but also because people spend longer looking or scrolling through things that they are interested in.

While many people may not be aware of just how much of their social media information intake is influenced by A.I., I do not believe that this hinders the majority of the American public from enjoying the features that A.I. algorithms provide to them. I do not believe that algorithms will be likely to die out in the near future, but I will be curious to see if other upcoming forms of A.I. technology will overtake the current popularity of our social media recommendations.

Works Cited

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.oracle.com/artificial-intelligence/what-is-ai/

Dean, B. (2021, October 10). How Many People Use Social Media in 2021? Backlinko. https://backlinko.com/social-media-users

Barnhart, B. (2021, March 26). How to Rise Above Social Media Algorithms. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-algorithms/

Marr, B. (2019, December 16). The 10 Best Examples Of How AI Is Already Used In Our Everyday Life. Forbes. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/12/16/the-10-best-examples-of-how-ai-is-already-used-in-our-everyday-life/