Anyone who watched Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, or any of the Terminator films are already familiar with the popular perception of artificial intelligence, also known as AI.
It's been the subject of numerous sci-fi movies and books throughout the decades. It elicits fear and fascination because of the intelligent potential exhibited by machines and computer software. The idea of machines thinking on their own is a bit scary when the mind making the decisions has no concept of good vs. evil.
But there's more to AI than just sci-fi - it's also a field of academic study that targets computers and computer software capable of intelligent behavior. It's played a genuine and beneficial role in technology, ever since IBM's Deep Blue computer, the precursor to the Watson cognitive framework, defeated chess wizard Garry Kasparov in 1997.
Many people use AI in daily interactions with Siri, for those who have Apple phones, and in phone systems that route calls. It's also the brains behind Amazon's voice command device, Echo. It's also used for aviation, and in financial organizations, and in many other industries.
Tech Pro Research conducted a survey in July to find out how AI will impact the future of IT. The 534 respondents shared their opinions and observations. The resulting report, Artificial Intelligence and IT: The Good, The Bad and the Scary, found some surprising responses.
Is AI good for business and society?
Respondents were also asked whether they thought that AI would be good for their business. A clear majority of 63% felt that it would be beneficial.
The survey also asked whether AI would be good for society. The number of positive responses dropped slightly, to 59%, but there was still a significant majority who felt AI would be beneficial.
Fear behind AI
The topic is scary to some, and 34% admitted that they are afraid of the concept of AI. Respondents in healthcare were more likely to fear the concept of AI (44%) compared to the overall average of 34%. Business services/consulting, education and IT/technology also ranked higher than the average. It's clear that AI is seen as a threat for employees whose careers are based in these fields.
Future plans for AI
There were 24% currently using AI in their business, or planning to use it in the next year. And another 26% are evaluating it for potential use.
The report also focused on many other aspects of AI, including how it's being used right now, the type of systems it's being used on, the top industries for AI, and when everyone predicts it will become mainstream.