AI makes it possible for machines to learn from experience and provide us with un-biased feedback. This results in the machines ability to perform human like tasks such as biometric scanning, decision making and even problem solving.
We live in an age where the world is governed by the need and hunger for technology. This techno dependency ranges from our need for the mobile phone to the cars we drive and even the houses we live in. Everything is run using technology. Humans have evolved into smart beings that strive to unlock the far corners of technology, recent developments in studies in the ever-growing field of Artificial Intelligence show. If that’s not a giant leap forward, this may be a page turner. Researches and tech-innovators have focused their attention in the field of cybernetics.
Most people confuse the field of cybernetics and AI as being one and the same. However, artificial intelligence is defined as intelligence demonstrated by machines. We program the machine to run a series of commands and the machine follows through on those commands. AI makes it possible for machines to learn from experience and provide us with un-biased feedback. This results in the machines ability to perform human like tasks such as biometric scanning, decision making and even problem solving. Keep in mind that all these tasks are accomplished without the use of emotions unlike in humans.
Cybernetics on the other hand is the study of how systems regulate themselves and describes the science of automatic control systems and communication in both machines and living things. Norbert Weiner a US mathematician invented the term and concept of cybernetics in 1948. Now known as the father of the study of cybernetics, Weiner describes the concept as the scientific study of control and communication in the animal and machine. This can further be interpreted as the study of how humans, machines and animals all communicate with each other.
Cybernetics in some ways can be defined as the science of organisation, focusing on the dynamic nature of the system that is being organised. Take the human brain for example, it is such a complex organisation which incorperates characteristics such as feedback, control and storage among others.
This qualifies for cybernetic study. The field of cybernetics can be divided into many sub-categories, of which are engineering, biology, government hierarchy and structure, law and even sports.
Cybernetics is applicable when a system that is being analyzed is a closed loop control. This means that the system must have a feedback response. To put it into perspective, when a system generates some changes to the environment it is in, this change will be reflected in the system in a manner that triggers an entire system change. Some concepts that are studied in the field of cybernetics include but are not limited to feedback, black boxes, communication and control in living organisms.
A practical use of cybernetics can be found in engineering. An example would be the autopilot on aircrafts. The autopilot is a flight control system that allows a pilot to fly the airplane without using continuous hands-on control of the aircraft. The system works by sending signals to the flight control systems and making calculated corrections based on the feedback. The uses of the autopilot help make life easier in the cockpit midflight.
The pilot will issue commands to the autopilot via the flight control systems such as altitude or course heading and the autopilot will execute the commands while the pilots focus their efforts on higher-order tasks such as communicating with the control towers on the ground and running through their flight checks such as contingency plans in case of a midair emergency. Think of the autopilot as a virtual crew member in the cockpit.
To be continued