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Why this Year Was Different for Artificial Intelligence

PAN Communications
  • Blog
  • Technology

Why this Year Was Different for Artificial Intelligence

PAN Communications

Most people would be surprised to know that the idea of “Artificial Intelligence” has been around for nearly 60 years, with the term being coined in 1956 at a conference held at Dartmouth College. This is pretty interesting, especially because just in the last year, AI has been talked about more than any other time. In fact, we PR pros think it is THE buzzword of 2016.

In typical fashion, the onset of artificial intelligence sparked heated discussions and concern in the media and from individuals around the world. Most notably, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates, who have been at the forefront of the AI movement – albeit not all holding the same opinions. Zuckerberg is working on AI that controls his home and is heavily promoting its benefits and potential. Musk and Hawking, meanwhile, have adamantly warned against the dangers of AI, saying that it will lead to the demise of human civilization.

Despite these public warnings, companies moved full steam ahead with implementing AI in their organizations, proof that they believe it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. As a result, it’s been a fun year for trend pitching. We’re at a turning point with AI and machine learning, and this year has been a pinnacle for all different types of industries – especially tech.

Source: commons.wikimedia.org used under CC license.

From the many voices warning against AI to the innovations such as voice assistants for our homes, chatbots and driverless cars, there’s been no shortage of fascinating topics to trend jack and pitch.

One of our clients, Unanimous A.I., uses its platform to provide insight and predictions on absolutely anything in the world. Although all of our clients are fun, Unanimous surprises us every day with the predictions they produce. This summer alone, the team had their hands busy with pitching around the Kentucky Derby, The Bachelorette and, of course, the Olympic Games.

Tying its AI swarm technology into trending media buzz led to pieces of coverage in The Washington Post, Mashable, TechCrunch and many other top-tier publications.

With no end in sight for the buzz around AI, it’s definitely an exciting time to be a PR professional in the world of tech.

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