Cognitive computing could be here sooner than you think: Frost & Sullivan

The world is about to cross the inflection point in the progress of artificial intelligence (AI), says Frost & Sullivan, as a result of breakthroughs in deep learning which have dramatically improved computer vision, natural language processing (NLP) and robotic motion systems.

Frost & Sullivan’s Senior Partner and Managing Director Sarwant Singh commented: “Since industrialisation, we have seen the driving forces shift from steam power to electricity to the communications realm which segued into the world of internet. The Internet is currently the utility that is powering businesses globally. As we shift to the Internet of Things, data is emerging as the new oil, creating more context than ever before on how our surroundings behave. This, I believe, is setting the stage for the utility of the 21st century: cognitive intelligence which will accelerate innovation for years to come.”

Potential results include:

• A work environment that is more flexible and productive, and machines intuitive enough to improve productivity at work by reducing time spent on mechanical tasks and shifting the focus to core jobs, said Nina Bjornstad, Country Manager of Google for Work (UK & Ireland).
• Payment so intuitive in the future that it becomes invisible, said Huy Nguyen Trieu, Author, Disruptive Finance.

"Technology platforms are proliferating, bringing creative developers together with enabling software and infrastructure from a multitude of suppliers. Inspirational design must focus on the Internet of People as well as Things. Cognitive capabilities are the key - the ability of computers to interact in natural language, to understand the infinite complexity of the visual world, and to automate tasks in a fraction of the time that humans need. Only then the 'next industrial revolution' will truly achieve its revolutionary potential," concluded Singh.