The Future of Communication: Artificial Intelligence

By Laura Perry, Copywriting & Editing Intern at Talent Academy

Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t as futuristic as you might think. In fact, it is already being used in our day-to-day lives.

From chatbots on websites, to virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, that time that we called “the future” what seems like just days ago, is already here.

The term “chatbot” comes from a blend of “chat” and “robot”, but there are actually no robots involved. Rather, chatbots are software programs that help people find the right service by answering questions. To do this, they rely on drawing information from a database to understand and answer the person, but if what the customer has typed is not in the database, machine learning comes into play as the chatbot has to learn that there are different ways of saying the same thing (Let’s Talk Science). This is difficult for a computer, it’s a bit like someone asking you a question in a language you don’t understand! Machine learning teaches chatbots the same way you would learn a new language, so that it can understand that things such as “ok” “okay” “k” and a thumbs up emoji all mean the same thing. Chatbots can even figure out how customers are feeling, lets say a person uses words associated with anger to the chatbot, the chatbot would connect them directly with a human (Let’s Talk Science). Already we can see that technology reflects the human capability of learning a new language and follows similar processes to do so.

Virtual Assistants, otherwise known as AI or digital assistants, are application programs that understand natural language commands and complete tasks for users (Botelho). These programs are able to send emails, check the weather, schedule, give reminders, place phone calls and many more tasks that a human assistant could carry out, but softwares such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assitant and Cortana are taking care of these jobs. 

“The technologies that power virtual assistants require massive amounts of data, which feeds artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, including machine learning, natural language processing and speech recognition platforms. As the end user interacts with a virtual assistant, the AI programming uses sophisticated algorithms to learn from data input and become better at predicting the end user's needs.” (Botelho).

These virtual assistants respond in humanised ways with their voices and ability to even tell jokes. Our conversation with digital assistants is reflective of an interaction we might otherwise have with a human, but instead of making a human complete menial tasks, we command AI to do so. It is important to remember though, that in order for AI assistants to be completely effective, they are switched on and listening all the time. Some privacy settings can be changed for a safer user experience, though changing too much will limit the assistant’s capabilities.

AI can help to improve one’s communication skills. “Conceptually, it’s not overly complex. If you can train machines to identify what makes an audience react (trust, engage, listen, act) and then train the machine to measure enough factors in those communications (how we use our words, voices, gestures) that may influence those reactions, then you can use data science and algorithms to build an intelligent machine that can improve how we communicate.” (Quantified). These sorts of machines can give you feedback on the effectiveness of what you say and how you say it. This can help you to improve the way you are communicating so that you will get a better reception from your audience. Knowing how your audience may react can significantly increase your confidence and help to reduce any public speaking anxieties you may have. 

The development of such technologies shouldn’t be feared. Rather than aiming to take away jobs from artists, communication experts, editors and the like, AI can make their jobs easier and their processes more efficient and precise. It is important for developers to remember that we should shape robots around humans, not humans around robots. 

The future holds many changes, and even though we already have a significant presence of AI in our lives, this is only bound to increase in the coming years. The way we communicate will change, adapting to the rise in frequent communication with AI and robots, as well as with people face-to-face, or via virtual reality platforms. How do you think AI is going to impact our lives? Join the discussion in the comments below!

Are you someone who struggles with speaking in front of people? We’re here to help! Check out our range of online courses for tips and tricks to defeating that nasty voice in your head telling you you can’t do it, because you can!

References:

Botelho, B, 2017, “virtual assistant (AI assistant)”, Techtarget, accessed 15 February 2022, <https://searchcustomerexperience.techtarget.com/definition/virtual-assistant-AI-assistant>

Let’s Talk Science, 2021, “AI and Human-Computer Communication”, accessed 15 February 2022, <https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounders/ai-and-human-computer-communication>

Quantified, 2016, “The future of human communication: how artificial intelligence will transform the way we communicate”, accessed 15 February 2022, <https://www.quantified.ai/blog/the-future-of-human-communication-how-artificial-intelligence-will-transform-the-way-we-communicate/>