Demystifying the other side of AI: unknown application scenarios that are changing the lives of millions
Source: Heart of the Metaverse MetaverseHub
When we witness artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into everyday life, we often focus on the most striking examples: chatbots that write poems, artworks created by algorithms, or autonomous vehicles.
But at the same time, we are ignoring that artificial intelligence is already solving problems that affect the lives of millions of people in some fields of expertise.
Vladimir Kokorin, founder of the British BCCM Group and venture capital IT expert, said, “The real impact of artificial intelligence is not reflected in research laboratories or corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley, but in how these technologies change people's lives.”
We'll start from his point of view and explore areas of artificial intelligence applications that are unknown to ordinary readers.
01. Predicting natural disasters
Imagine: the storm clouds outside have only just begun to gather, but you already know when precipitation will begin, what it will look like, and when it will end. And you know if these clouds will turn into a dangerous natural disaster.
In the fight against natural disasters, artificial intelligence has shown considerable capabilities.
In the past, meteorologists used huge physical models that required hours of computation on powerful supercomputers. Today, models such as Google DeepMind's GraphCast, Nvidia's FourCastNet, and Huawei's Pangu Weather can do the same job within a few minutes, and the results are often better.
Kokorin explained, “The AI-based prediction system is like a magnifying glass, which allows us to observe the weather conditions in the most detailed way. This level of accuracy is critical for rescue operations and timely response to natural disasters.”
Currently, the European Centre for Medium-Term Weather Forecasts is already using these new tools. They divided the world map into tiny squares for more detailed analysis.
Startup Atmo went a step further. Their model could observe the weather with an accuracy of one mile, while the accuracy of the old system was only 5.5 miles. This is like blurring the difference between a photo and a high-resolution image. This precision can help rescuers and relevant departments respond more quickly to impending storms, floods, or droughts.
02. The AI revolution in the legal industry
According to a Thomson Reuters report, 77% of lawyers believe artificial intelligence will bring significant changes to their field within the next five years. More telling, 72% of lawyers believe artificial intelligence is a positive factor for their career development.
Kokorin notes, “AI frees lawyers from tedious day-to-day tasks and allows them to focus on the creative side of their careers. In legal practice, we're seeing technologies that were previously boycotted are now being rapidly adopted.”
This shift stems from a real benefit: AI-based document review, research, and contract analysis tools can save attorneys significant time. For US lawyers alone, this means 266 million hours of work efficiency improvement.
The market also reacted accordingly. Legora, an AI-powered legal services firm, recently entered the US market and became a partner of leading global law firm Goodwin.
After raising more than $35 million from investors such as Benchmark, yCombinator, and RedPoint, Legora now serves clients in nearly 20 countries, helping lawyers focus on what matters most: serving their clients.
Kokorin commented, “We're seeing AI not only changing technological processes, but also entire industries that have maintained a conservative attitude for decades. Investors are increasingly interested in these types of projects, precisely because they really make professionals more productive.”
Some law firms have gone further and are developing their own AI-based tools.
A service jointly developed by Allen & Overy and AI startup Harvey can help clients determine in more than 130 jurisdictions where regulatory documents may be required in the event of a merger, while also identifying missing data and generating requests for information. These tasks have traditionally required hours of time for junior lawyers, and also require supervision by highly paid experts.
03. The power of AI in education and inclusion
In today's world, discussions about artificial intelligence tend to focus on its potentially dangerous or impressive technical capabilities, while application cases in education and inclusion are often overlooked.
Kokorin said, “In terms of education and inclusion, artificial intelligence has shown its true humanistic potential. The application of these technologies allows us to remove barriers faced by people with disabilities and open new horizons for those who previously had no access to quality education.”
Digify Africa, an artificial intelligence platform, helps poor students in remote parts of Africa gain access to education. At a British school, children with communication difficulties use artificial intelligence to write their own songs, thus opening up new ways to express themselves.
Yale University professor Boo Brian Scassellati said in an interview that in the field of special education, artificial intelligence robots help children with autism to integrate into society, and these children respond to these machines “differently than they do to dolls or pets.”
Kokorin notes, “Technologies that help people with disabilities interact with the world on a new level are particularly important. The development of artificial intelligence in this field deserves more attention and investment than at present.”
For people who are deaf and hard of hearing, companies like Ava are developing mobile apps with built-in artificial intelligence that can provide real-time transcription capabilities to make it easier to communicate in classrooms, business meetings, and public events.
The US National Institute of Technology for the Deaf collaborated with Microsoft to develop a subtitling technology for lectures by deaf students, and trained the software using the school's specific technical terms and vocabulary.
For people with physical disabilities, startups such as Voiceitt, Cognixion, and Parrots Inc are developing technology that translates unique speech patterns, brain waves, and eye movements into digital instructions.
These tools enable users to operate computers, navigate digital environments, and control devices without having to do anything or talk, providing them with the ability to live independently that was previously unimaginable.
04. The true value of AI technology
The real value of artificial intelligence is that it can change people's everyday lives, in classrooms where children with disabilities find ways to express themselves, in courts where justice is made fairer, and in disaster areas where lives are saved through more efficient prediction and response.
Kokorin emphasized that while these artificial intelligence applications may not be as eye-catching as talking robots or algorithmically generated works of art, their impact on society is more profound and significant. It is in these areas that technology has shown its true potential; it is not an end in itself, but a powerful tool for solving pressing human problems.
Kokorin concluded, “The path to effective use of artificial intelligence lies in achieving a balance between innovation and responsibility, technological progress and ethical guidelines. And this kind of future is worth investing in.”
