Opinion article signed by Manuel Moreira, Business Unit Director at KCS iT, published in Dinheiro Vivo.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerged in the 1940s with the creation of the first computer. Since then, ways of establishing intelligent behaviors in machines have been studied and developed. AI essentially refers to computing technologies inspired by how human beings use their brain and nervous system to reason and make decisions. Concepts such as Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Computer Vision are part of its ecosystem.

In recent years AI has seen enormous growth and development due to two factors: the evolution of Hardware, which provides the processing power for large volumes of data; and the digital world we live in, which generates a huge amount of data that companies can only organize and decode with the help of AI.

We're talking about a market worth many millions, in which all the tech giants (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM) are investing, aiming to generate new levels of productivity, optimize internal processes, and, in turn, ensure a better experience for their customers. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), investment in AI will accelerate in the coming years, and is estimated to exceed 110 billion dollars by 2024.

The applicability of AI, and the range of sectors it is present in, is remarkable:

• Spotify - through its recommendation algorithm (Spotify Recommendation Engine), it generates content of interest to its customers based on their information and insights.
• MotoGP - its teams are increasingly turning to AI, Machine Learning, and augmented and virtual reality to build on-track strategies and manage bike fuel consumption. This lets them improve performance in races.
• Mobility - autonomous driving is progressing further and further, through Computer Vision and video recognition, which allows perceiving the world around it; companies such as Tesla and Waymo are quite advanced in this area.
• Financial Sector - one focus is fraud detection, but not only that. AI is being used by banks to analyze customer data, make forecasts about markets and assets, and manage risk. Robo-advisors have existed for several years, but they've been taking on more and more operational functions, and can already decide, execute, and rebalance portfolios fully autonomously, through Deep Learning algorithms.
• DHL - a logistics company delivering around 1.5 billion packages a year, uses a Computer Vision system to determine whether shipping pallets can be stacked and to optimize space on cargo planes.

Looking at the benefits AI has brought to our daily lives, it's clear its presence will accompany us more and more in the future. AI's speed and storage capacity are responsible for reducing errors and risk when carrying out tasks dangerous for humans, for automating repetitive processes, and for adapting to user preferences.

In a business context, AI is an asset that can bring benefits to businesses of any scale in terms of: reduced costs and timelines; IT security; support for decision-making; and improved user experience.

The responsible use of AI within organizations will become increasingly important, so that they become more competitive and better able to meet customers' digital needs. Beyond these advantages, there are studies pointing to the possibility of combining AI with quantum technology, which could bring us even more promising benefits.