Summary Reader Response Draft #1

 According to the article "How Artificial Intelligence, Robots Enhance Forest Sustainability in

Finland", McQueen (2019) states that the Finnish Forest Centre is in charge of overseeing the

conservation of Finland's forests and hence came up with an ambitious solution to use robots

to autonomously execute most of the forest conservation tasks. 


McQueen mentions that the data used has to be precise and attainable before the Finnish Forest Centre can train the robots. They use aerial and lidar imagery to construct forest inventories and record tree measurements and information on species. The data the robots need is then placed in a geographic information system (GIS). 


The development director of the Finnish Forest Centre, Hamalainen, and his team see robots bringing benefits. People owning more than 65% of Finland’s forests can have simpler and more proactive management of their forests.


To produce precise data and decrease the amount of work in the field, McQueen reports that the Finnish Forest Centre is using AI. By combining the data from GIS, imagery sources, climate and weather datasets, precise measurements of the forest can be obtained, and forest inventory predictions can be improved. It can also detect signs of spruce bark beetle attacks as well as provide relevant information on the volume and species of wood.


The machine testing algorithms are being tested to obtain the same measurements as those measured by inspection crews in-person. Through AI, Hamalainen states that “we want the data to be so accurate that users can see and sell without having to go to the forest”. Currently, 85% of the cases have reliable data, while the remaining 15% is being improved.


Over the years, many countries have benefitted from the use of artificial intelligence. It has brought about many transformations and improvements to technology, increasing its efficiency and capabilities. 


Looking on a local scale, Singapore has implemented artificial intelligence extensively in their healthcare sector and have seen drastic improvements and benefits for both patients and doctors. Firstly, artificial intelligence has helped patients to manage their illnesses or conditions while at home through the use of coaching applications by providing virtual aid through chatbots. For example, in the article “Healthcare Transformation in Singapore with Artificial Intelligence”, Liu, Ko, Heng, Ngiam and Feng (2020) mentioned that Stein et al (1) created a fully automated health coaching mobile application for overweight adults that is driven completely by artificial intelligence. Results showed that the application was as good as face to face lifestyle involvements when it comes to achieving weight loss for the users. As for doctors, according to the article “How Singapore is using artificial intelligence”, Trueman and Lago (2019) mentions that artificial intelligence is now capable of detecting skin cancers, examining chest x-rays and performing diabetes screens, all from a patient’s retina scan. It is also able to sift through large numbers of documents and reports produced every year so that doctors make the best choice when picking new treatments. All these shows how artificial intelligence has significantly changed the healthcare system in Singapore by transforming its processes and providing better technology to improve the lives of the people. 


In the United States of America, artificial intelligence is being used to enhance national security. In the article “How artificial intelligence is transforming the world”, West and Allen (2018) state that the American military is making use of artificial intelligence to look through huge piles of data and video recorded by surveillance and then notify human analysts of unusual or shady activities or patterns. Adopting artificial intelligence helps find suspicious activity much more quickly so that necessary actions can be taken to apprehend the criminal to maintain and uphold the country’s peace and security before any damage can be done.


In the current situation where Covid-19 is prevalent, South Korea is using artificial intelligence to fight the pandemic. In the article “How this South Korean company created coronavirus test kits in three weeks”, Watson, Jeong and Hollingsworth mention that Korea was able to develop a covid-19 test kit in a matter of weeks due to the use of artificial intelligence-based big data system housed by the company Seegene. Secondly, according to the article “COVID-19: How Korea is using innovative technology and AI to flatten the curve”, “AI for good” stated that artificial intelligence was also used in Korea to help categorize confirmed cases through the use of “VUNO’s Chest X-ray AI Image Support Decision Tool” which is capable of examining the lungs in 3 seconds using x-ray images. For Korea’s case, artificial intelligence has managed to help the country manage Covid-19 better by allowing the quick development of test kits, as well as categorizing confirmed cases so they may receive the respective treatments based on their severity. 


However, artificial intelligence by any means is not perfect. One such widely known use of artificial intelligence is autonomous vehicles. It has the capability to increase the safety of its driver, as well as to reduce the need for manpower in work-related cases, such as driving delivery trucks or even car-sharing and taxi services. West and Allen wrote that in March 2018, Uber suffered a blow when an autonomous vehicle in Arizona hit and killed a pedestrian. Artificial intelligence may have transformed many sectors in wonderful ways, but there are still flaws in it as shown in this incident, and can still cause certain issues or accidents. 


In conclusion, countries that have implemented artificial intelligence have seen a huge jump in their progress in technological advancements, which lead to many benefits for their people. However, as the technology is still considered to be relatively new, there are still areas where errors may occur. 






References:


  1. Stein, N., & Brooks, K. (2017). A fully automated conversational artificial intelligence for weight loss: Longitudinal observational study among overweight and obese adults. JMIR Diabetes, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.2196/diabetes.8590



  1. Liu, S., Ko, Q. S., Heng, K. Q. A., Ngiam, K. Y., & Feng, M. (2020, November 17). Healthcare transformation in Singapore with Artificial Intelligence. Frontiers. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2020.592121/full#B10


  1. Lago, C. T., & Lago, C. (2019, March 12). How Singapore is using Artificial intelligence. CIO. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.cio.com/article/221994/how-singapore-is-using-artificial-intelligence.html


  1. West, D. M., & Allen, J. R. (2018, April 24). How artificial intelligence is transforming the world. Brookings. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-world/#_edn2

  2. Watson, I., Jeong, S., & Hollingsworth, J. (2020, March 13). How this South Korean company created coronavirus test kits in three weeks. CNN. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/12/asia/coronavirus-south-korea-testing-intl-hnk/index.html

        6. Covid-19: How Korea is using innovative technology and AI to flatten the curve. AI for             Good. (2021, September 2). Retrieved February 12, 2022, from                                         https://aiforgood.itu.int/covid-19-how-korea-is-using-innovative-technology-and-ai-to-flatten-the-curve/

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