2018 Trends in Artificial Intelligence

The worlds of data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning are moving so fast that it can make your head spin. The fascinating 2018 Tech Trends Report from the Future Today Institute was just released at SXSW and does a great job of outlining a range of technology trends.

Some of the trends listed above weren’t even on our radar — like WiFi tracking, a fascinating and potentially scary capability. Researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital are using advanced AI algorithms to analyze radio signals bouncing off us and onto other objects to track our physical movements, even through walls. They’re also using a related technology to detect our emotional state without disturbing the person being monitored.

Here’s a quick glimpse into the trends in the area of artificial intelligence in the report:AI Trends in the Enterprise

• The AI Cloud
• Proprietary, Homegrown AI Languages
• AI Chipsets
• Cognitive Computing
• Bots
• Marketplaces For AI Algorithms
• More Consolidation in AI

AI Trends in Consumer-Facing Products and Applications

• Consumer-Grade AI Applications Debut
• Digital Assistants Become Ubiquitous
• A Bigger Role For Ambient Interfaces
• Deep Linking Everywhere

AI Trends in Society and Geopolitics

• Making AI Explain Itself
• Accountability and Trust
• Hidden Bias Leads To Big Problems
• China’s AI Boom

AI Trends in Processes, Systems and Computational Neuroscience

• Real-Time Machine Learning
• Natural Language Understanding (NLU)
• Machine Reading Comprehension (MRC)
• Natural Language Generation (NLG)
• Generative Algorithms For Voice, Sound and Video
• Image Completion
• Predictive Machine Vision
• Much Faster Deep Learning
• Reinforcement Learning and Hierarchical RL
• Continuous Learning
• Multitask Learning
• Adversarial Machine Learning

Recognition Technologies

• Faceprints
• Voiceprints
• Wifi Tracking
• Gesture Recognition
• Personality and Character Recognition
• Ambient Proximity
• Hidden Bias in Recognition Technologies