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By EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN – SciTech and Digital News
MANILA (SDN) — Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a tool of many uses, and it has not even reached its full maturity. Yet, experts say AI’s “ascendance” into people’s “everyday lives is inevitable”.
According to UBS.com, AI has three broad stages, such as artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), which is “limited in scope”; artificial general intelligence (AGI) covering “more than one field like power of reasoning, problem solving and abstract reasoning; and artificial super intelligence (ASI), the “final stage of the intelligence explosion, in which AI surpasses human intelligence across all fields”.
Think “sentient” robots!
Humanity is now in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is driven by “automation and connectivity”, in which AI will be along for the ride in all aspects of life — be it for good or for bad.
“For good” means AI will make life easier to navigate — impacts on businesses and society; “for bad”, say fears of job loss because of “virtual assistants or chatbots, smart robots or robot advisors in the fields on finance, insurance, legal, media and journalism. will provide instantaneous research or findings, and within healthcare field”.
It all means, it seems, “the inevitable ascendance of AI into our everyday lives,” UBS.com says.
Leveraging AI is not lost on the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Through its Innovation Council, the Philippine Council on Industry, Energy, Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), the science Department now under the leadership of Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr., will make known its recent advances in AI at the:
1st Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research & Development (R&D) Conference and Workshop 2023
to be held at the Acacia Hotel on March 14-15 in Davao City, in Mindanao, the Land of Promise. PCIEERD organized the conference with SkAI-ALaM, Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI)-ALaM, and ASIMOV-HAWKS. The inaugural AI event revolves around the theme, “AI Pinas: Driving Transformation and Impact in the Digital Age”.
In a brief for members of the media, PCIEERD said the current “rapid digitalization” occurring in businesses, organizations, governments, etc., saying “the rise of (AI) has been prevalent across different sectors. Its growing potential is being recognized and utilized in various industries.”
The Innovation Council noted how AI is appreciated in the Philippines, citing what it called its “decent performance in the Global Innovation Index (GII) which shows a a huge increase in rank from 104th in 2014 to 59th in 2022.”
Public awareness on AI potential uses
As the leader in the country’s innovation, “DOST has been supporting several (R&D) projects that aspire for economic recovery and resilience and achieve sustainable development. This year, the (Innovation) Council is taking a broader mission to deliver AI-based solutions for the people,” the media brief emphasized.
This is where the “AI Pinas” conference in Davao City comes in as DOST touts recent advances in AI accomplished through PCIEERD’s strong support as it funded AI-focused projects and others.
For the Davao City conference and workshop, DOST will present projects on ASTI Automated Labeling Machine (ASTI-ALaM led by Dr. Franz A. De Leon; Automated Labeling Machine-Large Scale Initiative (ALaM-LSI) with Dr. Jose Ildefonso U. Rubrico as project leader; Harmonized Aeridal Watch and Knowledge-based Survey (HAWKS) also headed by Dr. Jose Ildefonso U. Rubrico; and Robot for Optimized and Autonomous Mission-Enhancement Responses (ROAMER) under Eng’r Peter Antonio Banzon.
PCIEERD said the projects’ target audience or beneficiaries are AI Researchers, National Government Agencies (NGAs), Higher Education Institutions (HEIs); Research Development Institutions (RDIs)), and Industry and Private Institutions (IPI).
DOST wants the public to be aware on AI and robotics’ benefits and potential uses in addressing national issues as well as highlight key themes and areas as the science department designs a National AI R&D program for potential assistance in Current Year (CY) 2025.
The Conference/workshop has a lineup of a battery speakers led by Solidum along with known figures from the public and private sectors. (✓)