The name, cognitive technology spells communication vistas, possibilities, and a fluidity that makes one expectant. And, that is just the tip of the iceberg with all that cognitive technology offers. So, what is cognitive technology? Cognitive technology is a field of modern science that imitates functions of the human brain.
How did Cognitive Technology come into being?
The first blossoms of the field of cognitive technology began in the late nineteenth century with the work of the mathematician George Boole. His book The Laws of Thought is a landmark in cognitive technology.
On May 11, 1997, the IBM Computer Deep Blue defeated the renowned Chess Grandmaster, Gary Kasparov. Other mathematicians Charles Babbage and George Boole contributed to the creation of what he termed ‘an analytical engine’.
The impossibly amazing creations date back to ancient times but cognitive technology started taking center stage in our lives only 30 to 40 years back. Thus, did cognitive technology emerge as a major field of AI and futuristic human activity. Let us dive into how cognitive science has augmented the IT and telecommunications industry.
Benefits of Cognitive Technology
Cognitive Technology has widespread present and great future uses. They are:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Some of the basic tenets of cognitive computing have been derived from AI, especially, in terms of algorithms that can be used through data management systems – Big Data, to be precise. This is to gain a deeper understanding and control of the vast amounts of data welling up in modern organizations.
Natural language processing, decision automation, cognitive science, computational intelligence, machine learning, statistical intelligence modeling, and cognitive simulation are all related to cognitive intelligence. These are software-based technologies that strengthen the velocity, volume, and variety of big data. These technologies are generated by next-generation networks to intelligently develop outcomes of speed, cost, and quality.
Combining domain knowledge with algorithms, cognitive technologies transform operations to enable complex and diverse business goals to be delivered. These cognitive networks use big data and compute abilities that are forever taking on newer domains and spreading to every field of activity.
They can do the tasks that only humans are capable of doing; and, hence, have immense possibilities. That is why they have the potential to replace human intelligence in the future. They further have uses in computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, speech recognition, and robotics.
Modern Business Solutions
Today’s service providers and business owners or entrepreneurs are faced with a lot of complexities. Cognitive technologies and cognitive networks solve these complexities. How?
They present a lot of opportunities for the businesses concerned, the technical experts, the market, the customers, and others involved. They blend big data with distinctive network domain competence that leads to unprecedented speed, scale, and accuracy in emerging intent-based network operations. These cognitive technologies also herald new ways of doing business.
They use deep natural language processing (NLP) and understanding to launch workflows, answer questions and proffer recommendations. We can perform strategic network investment decisions predicted in a network and not simply retaliate to bottlenecks that have occurred. This is called Network CAPEX Planning.
We can utilize network crowd-sourced data for remote verification and accept newly deployed equipment without dispatching engineers or driving tests to the site.
Cognitive Networks also facilitate proactive network optimization which entails finding out and solving network aberration. This ensures that user experience degradation does not take place. With infinite 5G opportunities on the horizon, communication service providers (CSPs) can gain an edge through AI-powered, data-driven network optimization technologies. A bad cell optimization process against a restricted number of network metrics is a pitfall. This is avoided in this process. Examples include traffic shaping, data caching, data compression, etc.
Provision of voluminous data and rapidly-flowing network streams
These are hyper-connected environments and they provide a customer excellent experience by combining voluminous data and rapidly flowing network streams. With the market rushing towards the provision of speed and large data volumes these technologies are the next-generation answers to many business and technology needs.
Cognitive Technology is playing a leading role in automation building. The intensely complex and intricate networks that are the cornerstones of today’s communication are catered to by cognitive network solutions and cognitive technology solutions.
For example, the use of intelligent automation to speed up production or minimize the chance of human mistakes in an automobile factory and a pharmaceutical or life sciences company using it to save costs and obtain resource efficiencies when repetitive procedures occur.
Communication – Mobile Technology
As we speak of communication we need to approach the domain of 5G network communication which is a tangible possibility today.
Cognitive Network is an avenue that helps us to explore and put to task the complexities of communication that are opening up before us. After the nascent 1G, 2G, 3G, or 4G, the next-gen 5G technology has higher data transfer rates and provides us with video access with minimum latency and the many connected devices that we experience today. Such facilities are present in smart cities, autonomous vehicles, sports broadcasting, 5G drones, etc.
Mobile technology uses data to create predictive algorithms that look for and resolve problems before they affect the end-user experience. We are now looking ahead to wonderfully evolved networks and accessibility.
Cognitive Technology and the Frontiers of Space
If we imagine the future of our world, tapping on to the endless space around us, the huge area of unexplored territory offers vast possibilities, too.
Vistas of cognitive technology like AI are being used in the creation of AI-based assistants and robots (empathetic robotic assistants) to help astronomers in long space travel, automate image analysis for a galaxy, planet, or star classification, create intelligent navigation systems e.g. the development of an AI system that aided astronauts to find their way on the planets with the help of Intel.
Let us discuss the future and look at a few stats that may shape the course of cognitive technologies.
Cognitive Technology and the Road Ahead
All the above-mentioned benefits were the stuff of science fiction a few decades back. As most such path-breaking technological trends have a lot to look forward to it is evident that cognitive technologies have a future to look forward to.
We have already looked at the possibilities in business solutions, communication, space technologies, etc. Cognitive Computing is going to emerge as the next-generation computing system and they will converse in human language.
The cognitive technology market is expected to grow at a CAGR OF 34.2% and is expected to reach a market value of $36,000 million by 2023. These technologies will be operational in chatbots, sentiment analysis, face detection, risk assessment, and even fraud detection.
It is expected to occupy a 37% portion as against other emerging technologies of the future. 65% of early adopters viewed it as very important to their organization’s strategy and success, 58% of early adopters said it was essential for digital transformation and 58% said that it will become a must-have to remain competitive in the next few years.
The Challenges of Cognitive Technology
Talking about possibilities, we must remember that possibilities are always accompanied by challenges that must be overcome. For example:
● Cognitive systems cannot analyze the risks not found in unstructured data. Cognitive systems make it possible to comprehend complex content, be involved in dialects in natural language, analyze unstructured information along with structured data, derive inferences or take decisions based on structured or unstructured inputs such as reasoning, senses, and verbal cues to arrive at the most probable. It needs laborious training before being used. For example, WellPoint’s financial management is facing a similar situation with IBM Watson – an AI tool that helps organizations automate complex processes, predict future outcomes and optimize employees’ time.
● The purview of cognitive technology is limited to engagement and decision. instead of artificial intelligence. It supplements human thinking and analysis but cannot take critical or strategic decisions.
Final Thoughts
Jordan Bernt Peterson, a Canadian Clinical Psychologist, YouTube Personality, Author, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto has said, “The multiplication force of technology on cognitive differences is massive.” And, rightly so, Cognitive Technology holds for us endless possibilities just as our inner world holds opportunities for endless exploration. So, we are looking ahead to great opportunities in cognitive technology.
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