AI and Augmented Intelligence: Which is more relevant and necessary?

Despite artificial intelligence making huge waves, augmented intelligence is the need of the hour.

While artificial intelligence (AI) aims to replicate human intelligence, it also tries to enhance our capabilities. Today, artificial intelligence has swept into every aspect of our lives and across all industrial sectors. Now it is en route to assist humans in a systematically logical way. This is why there's been an emphasis on renaming artificial intelligence as augmented intelligence in recent years.

Augmented intelligence is also referred to as intelligence augmentation (IA) and cognitive augmentation. It can be defined as a technological approach dependent on big data that joins algorithms of machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics intending to produce relevant data for targeted choices. It is interesting to note that with the help of artificial intelligence, augmented intelligence extends and supports human intelligence. It is resourceful in areas, where the risk of failure is too great in models that generally run on artificial intelligence.

While there have been several heated discussions about artificial intelligence replacing humans, augmented intelligence is an answer to such fears. Meanwhile, it also pushes the AI revolution forward.

The key problem with artificial intelligence is that it is too vague. For instance, it is defined as an umbrella term referring to the ability of machines to carry out tasks that, if performed by a human, would require the person to use their "intelligence" to perform the tasks. Also, 'artificial' sounds quite contrasting to 'natural' – thus sparking fears about replacing humans. In reality, experts do not claim that AI algorithms and models will be perfect; they claim that it will be better than humans, which again does not help to taper the apprehension surrounding it.

Augmented intelligence promises to work in conjunction with humans. In fact, when viewed from its perspective, it does offer quite an impressive amount of exciting opportunities. Let us consider the big data industry. When leveraged in big data environment, IA extends the power of human intelligence by analyzing large amounts of data that people can barely grasp and by providing found patterns or dependencies as a basis for decision-making. At an enterprise level, it can empower organizations with new insights, new opportunities, make new products and services, and define better approaches for working.

Even BFSI industries rely heavily on augmented intelligence to process transactions and document verification. These computer systems can designate certain flags and resolve conflicts through a pronged, systematic approach. In education too, learning outcomes can be enhanced using IA by providing material found through machine learning and relevant to the learning or teaching process. Apart from that augmented intelligence can be leveraged for a variety of purposes such as image processing tools, natural language tools and developing knowledge base, among a multitude of others.

By now, it may be evident that despite the underlying technologies and fundamentals powering both artificial intelligence and augmented intelligence are largely the same, the applications, goals and objectives are objectively different. While the former aims to create systems that run without humans, augmented intelligence focuses on creating systems that make humans better. By leaving the decision-making process to people, it ensures that human participation is present. In other words, it is supplementary to human capabilities and not their substitution. Tech experts believe that generally, we have been using employing offerings of augmented intelligence more than artificial intelligence. Moreover, in the coming future machines will continue using augmented intelligence techniques to support the human brain capacities and increase the efficiency and productivity of our works. Soon, IA will be integral to numerous sorts of innovative work. And with that, these innovations will turn out to be increasingly significant and will positively impact our existence in the coming years.