Artificial intelligence is fast changing the concept of the digital revolution. Now that technology has become an inseparable part of society, the natural progress towards artificial intelligence is just a matter of time. There’s more to it, therefore, than just $7 billion in exports as targeted by the ICT Minister Mustafa Jabbar.
True, there is massive scope to scoop up outsourcing as the wealthy West seeks cheaper solutions but in our own neck of the woods, the possibility of artificial intelligence is endless. There is the matter of utilizing artificial intelligence intelligently in a labour surplus country, and the introduction of robotic technology so common in the West may well need to be delayed.
Robots and sensors are in full use in car manufacturing and Amazon’s inventory control procedures, and there are job losses that are sought to be made up.
In terms of efficiency, artificial technology has yet to fully prove its point given the level of intelligence at play. Creation of the technology as well as tuning the finer aspects are some distance away from being able to fully replace human labour. The super shops could well be one of the first to introduce the self check-out process, thereby reducing the long queues at the tills.
Currently, banks, call centres, and hospitals have limited their usage to ATMs and service choice selection -- the consumers still need a friendly human touch to some of these services. Cell phone companies did begin the revolution related to the online purchase of train tickets and even Biman -- the national airline -- allows for online ticket purchases, but travel agents continue to thrive as the reluctance to use digital technology and the lack of education on it pervades our society.
The prospects are indeed mind-boggling. Bus tickets could soon be a matter of kiosks using credit cards or pre-paid cards, thereby reducing the need for street-side man- mounted selling points. Transportation costs, especially when the metro rail and elevated express trains come into operation, will ideally be digitally handled alongside manual-ticketing. School fees and charges are low-hanging fruits for digitization, and there could also be digital kiosks available in the country-side.
The real revolution will be the digitization of factories and mills, hitting the labour debate on its head. Foreign direct employment is creating jobs, but too few to keep up with the growing number of people entering the labour market. The education system has to adjust towards the creation of labour suited to market requirements as productivity efficiency numbers are challenged and upped.
The technology used in broadcast media and to an extent in the print media is glitzy, but at the end of the day, an input is crucial to an output of choice. Artificial intelligence will one day challenge human thinking, until then it’s a matter of convenience and choice that will dictate the future.
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist. He can be reached at [email protected].
