SCIENCE
The appliance of science – Dr Jennifer Thompson
Artificial Intelligence
- the way forward !
Dr Jennifer Thompson , regulatory compliance services manager at Middlesbrough firm Industrial Technology Systems ( ITS ), explains how Artificial Intelligence can help revolutionise your business …
PICTURES : CHRIS BOOTH
I
’ m sure you will have opened a newspaper or a magazine recently and discovered one or more articles showcasing new applications of Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) across a wide variety of business processes and industries . And you may be aware of AI used in the NHS to evaluate medical scans and test results that support diagnosis and treatment decisions .
The availability of inexpensive computing power , low-cost data storage and easier access to data have made the widespread use of AI feasible . Enough experience has now been gained with the algorithms behind AI models and frameworks for ensuring applications are robust and reliable that we are seeing an explosion in their adoption in almost all fields .
Experts have suggested that investment in AI may add an additional £ 630bn to the UK economy by 2035 , increasing the annual growth rate by up to 3.9 per cent .
This visibility is partly due to government recognition that the UK has a globally acknowledged strength in AI research and innovation . The National Data Strategy
2020 aimed to improve the use of data by government departments , and the analytical capabilities of AI are now being embraced by departments as diverse as HMRC , the HSE and GCHQ .
The UK National AI Strategy 2021 was focused on ensuring AI benefits all sectors and regions and the associated AI Action Plan ( July 2022 ) highlights Innovate UK technology programmes which will channel £ 35m of government investment in enabling businesses to realise the potential of AI .
As a well-established system integrator , ITS works closely with clients in the regulated life sciences , chemicals and energy sectors to provide automated solutions to process and business challenges . Looking to the future , we have grown our in-house expertise in AI and data analytics over the last few years .
Firstly , it is important to remember that AI is an umbrella term describing the capability of computer systems to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence . These are typically activities such as visual perception , speech recognition , decision-
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