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Do you know your AI from your Blockchain? Tech terms you need to know
AI, Blockchain, machine learning and deep learning are just some of the latest buzzwords and tech terms that are now being used daily. But do we know what these mean and what the impact of each one is? t is a worthwhile investment to understand the meaning and scale at which they can be applied especially when you are considering getting a custom software solution built. We decode some of the tech terms you need to know.
Here we explain what these six of the hottest tech buzzwords are;
This is probably the one buzzword that we are all sure of, with almost all of us have used this technology before. From our smartphone assistants (Siri, Cortana and Alexa) to self-driving vehicles (probably fewer of us have experienced this before), AI technology is making its way into our everyday lives.
AI capitalises on data, something that is ever-growing and constantly generated. The conclusion on a fair amount of research is that machines are far-better suited than humans to consume data, and so the tech focus has gone into making machines ‘smart enough’ to do this. By ‘smart enough’ it means that machines are being built with human being capabilities; to interpret and act on our physical surroundings. AI teaches machines to do this; to be creative and interpretive through using computer logic.
Not something to be confused with AI, but often is the case. Machine Learning is considered an application of AI and is more focused on making systems learn for themselves. Google’s AutoML project has taken this a step further, where researchers have managed to teach machine learning software to build machine learning software.
The basic premise of machine learning is that machines and programmes do not need to be taught everything explicitly. Systems can be programmed to be like humans, where we observe, classify and learn from our mistakes and learn to use this data independently. And humans are pretty good and learning from their mistakes, and not repeating them in the future.
Deep learning takes machine learning to a whole new level through neural networks. What this means is that systems and programs are modelled on the human brain’s structure and function. Deep learning imitates the way the human brain works; how it handles stimuli and the way we create patterns that influence our decision-making.
Still a little confused on this one?
What this means is that deep learning tries to create relationships between stimuli and the responses each one creates by the human brain.
Deep learning uses artificial neural networks, which are structured like the human brain and connected like a web. These networks are hierarchical and this layering means that data is processed in a non-linear approach. Again, what does this mean? Simply put, deep learning builds on machine learning, using the data from a previous layer with the added data of the current neural network layer to create patterns, extract features and produce results.
If you’re thinking that Blockchain and Bitcoin are something similar or an interchangeable word, then keep reading because I’m about to explain the difference to you.
Blockchain is a decentralised database, and when it comes to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Blockchain as a digital ledger to keep track of Bitcoin transactions. Blockchains were first introduced to support cryptocurrencies, but the benefits of Blockchain can be used across many industries.
In a blockchain, all the storage devices that make up the database are decentralised. Within the blockchain, there are ‘blocks’ which is a growing list of ordered records, such as transactions. The information inside blocks is unchangeable once entered in. Blocks are time-stamped and linked to other blocks to create a record, available to all members within a particular blockchain network. The full visibility into the entire history of a blockchain means that hacking is almost impossible to achieve, so blockchain technology means wonders for security across many, many industries.
SovTech’s Blockchain Lab believes that Blockchain technologies are what the future looks like. Our team is passionate about utilising the full power of DLTs (Distributed Ledger) to help make that future brighter.
This is the umbrella term covering the technologies, data systems, applications and collection practices of business information, that extract key pieces of data and information to ultimately enhance the strategic planning processes and decision-making processes within businesses.
BI systems can provide a huge amount of data to businesses, including historical, current and predictive data on business performance and industry trends. The BI information extracted can assist companies to grow, perform better and improve their competitive advantage.
Data-as-a-Service is another instance of moving storage facilities into the cloud to make the end-user experience significantly better. Data-as-a-Service stores data (mostly business data) in the cloud, in a, protected yet accessible space, and makes the useful data available to users on-demand, ignoring their location.
For businesses, Data-as-a-Service makes a huge amount of sense, as businesses are becoming more remote, the physical storage of data makes less and less sense. Cloud technology means that data is accessible to the right users, on-demand, in any location.
Tech terms just as technology in its own right continue to evolve daily. While one can never compile a full thesaurus of all tech terms (we might, one day) these six tech terms you need to know are imperative to know for tech enthusiasts and corporate clientele that are considering developing some custom software or applications.
SovTech builds, deploys, and maintains custom software and applications for enterprises and startups alike.
