Putting the Human Back into the Algorithm

1920_oxford-road-scene-nick-caville-bdp (1) - Is AI our only hope for the future of humankind? Professor Sami Kaski explores how this powerful tool could help meet the challenges facing our world. But how do we ensure that the human is present in the machine? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all around us. From the smart watches we wear everyday collecting our personal biodata to helping medical professionals prescribe to patients, this technology has the potential to greatly advance global health services, to name just one area, in the future. The University of Manchester is playing an important part in these advancements, as a world-leader in developing autonomous systems that combine AI technologies with robotics. An example is our work to improve the capabilities of robots used in the hazardous work to decommission legacy nuclear power reactors and helping to better protect surrounding communities. Through machine learning, these robots obey their algorithms - the embedded digital instructions defining an AI task - and adapt performance using devolved decision-making capabilities, so they can be agile and respond to changing or complex environments. THIS IS AN EXCITING PERIOD FOR RESEARCH AS WE EXPLORE NEW FRONTIERS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE It's impressive technology, but automated operation is largely limited by the need for human intervention, to set objectives and rewards within the algorithm that tell the system the desired outcomes.