Narrow artificial intelligence or Narrow AI, is AI focused on a given task. Its machine learning model is trained to solve a specific problem.
What is narrow AI?
Narrow artificial intelligence (or Narrow AI) focuses on a specific problem, in this sense it is monotask. narrow AI aims at reproducing specific cognitive faculties, such as natural language processing or image recognition for example.
We can thus say that it simulates a human behavior or faculty, but without consciousness. It is a particularly powerful tool in the sense that it is able to automate tasks. It draws from the algorithms of machine learning.
What about some examples of narrow artificial intelligence?
The current applications of narrow artificial intelligence are numerous. narrow AI allows indeed to treat precise tasks, and in a faster way. In short, to be as good or even better than a human brain when performing these same tasks. Among the application cases of narrow AI, we can mention :
- Understanding and interpreting (to some extent) natural language,
- Reproduce the musical style of a famous musician,
- Produce images that appear to be grounded in reality,
- Recognize and identify people in a photograph,
- Make a diagnosis of a disease.
Siri, the intelligent assistant on Apple devices, is a perfect example of narrow artificial intelligence. Able to understand certain requests, it answers a number of questions asked by humans. It is thus able to understand and interpret language, or part of it. This is a technological feat that has revolutionized usage. However, it has only a small number of predefined functions and there is neither true intelligence nor consciousness.
What can narrow AI do?
While applying narrow artificial intelligence, professions could be automated. Some studies show that in the context of the coming decades, 10% of jobs could be eliminated, and 50% transformed due to the potential intervention of narrow AI in certain professions.
What is the difference between narrow and strong AI?
Narrow artificial intelligence reproduces a human mode of operation without consciousness or sensitivity. There is no “true” intelligence.
The ambition of strong artificial intelligence is to develop models allowing the creation of machines endowed with mind, consciousness and sensitivity. These machines would have the subtlety of the human brain coupled with the performance and computing power of AI as it exists today. This is one of the main challenges for artificial intelligence.