The technology available today can make your head spin if you’re uninitiated. Cloud computing and the internet of things provide users with power tools and the ultimate in convenience, but they can be difficult for a newcomer to the world of tech to understand. However, that world around you is only becoming more technologically advanced, and today’s cutting edge tech will only become more commonplace. This guide will fill you in on the basics of today’s most advanced technology so you can hold your own in conversation.
Artificial Intelligence
Just about anyone is familiar with the term “artificial intelligence,” and just as many people have a vague idea of what AI is meant to accomplish. Simply put, artificial intelligence aims to replicate in machines the higher cognitive functions present in humans that, historically, computers have utterly lacked. In sci-fi movies, this means computers with personality, but real world AI is far from that milestone, and that’s assuming it’s even possible or worth investing in. That being said, modern AI is already pretty potent, and it is just behind the scenes of many products, services, and business models. In fact, AI is so important to businesses that MLOps have become necessary to increase the value proposition of investing in this rapidly advancing, and rapidly aging, technology.
Easily the most common time you’ll see examples of AI in action is when you’re using a search engine like Google. This is because Google uses AI to improve the user experience on two fronts in particular. First and foremost, the act of typicing your search query will prompt you with a variety of best guesses at what you’re looking for, and those best guesses are based on your own history as a user, as well as other factors such as your geographical location. The results of each search are also enhanced by AI, because they pull results not only for your search terms but also similar terms made up of like words.
Cloud Technology
Another emergent technology that lurks, invisible, around every corner is cloud technology. Specifically, cloud storage is incredibly, surprisingly common as a consumer service. For example, there is a plethora of cloud storage services that are distinctly labeled as such, such as Google Drive. However, there are also many examples of cloud storage that aren’t explicitly referred to as such, such as email services. These services provide users with the ability to quickly access their files from multiple devices and share them without the need to send a copy of the file to a new location via email, for example. This also provides additional security, because mechanical failure won’t cost you your files that are stored remotely in the cloud.
Cloud computing is rarely seen in consumer services, so it remains primarily within the purview of businesses, but it’s no less impressive. While it’s technically a type of networking that does an exemplary job of improving networking as you know it, it also has some unique advantages that can utterly and radically redefine computing as you know it. Where traditional networks allow you to share files among a team or business and cloud storage fills that role and then some, cloud computing allows sharing computing power in the form of computational assets. These resources are initially pooled and then shifting from one machine to another as needed, and automatically, to streamline various processes. In layperson’s terms, this can turn a network into a supercomputer capable of tackling more demanding computations in less time and with less strain on the machines involved. It’s also worth noting that cloud computing also aids in software development and even app deployment by offering a more dynamic computational framework and greater scalability.
Modern technological marvels are all around you, but they are both so ubiquitous and so complex that they often go unnoticed and misunderstood. This primer can fill you in on the basics, but there’s always more to learn.
