Summary Reader Response Draft #2

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 Artificial intelligence (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 other countries that have also implemented AI has benefitted much from it. It has brought many transformations and improvements to technology, increasing its efficiency and capabilities. 


Looking locally, Singapore has implemented AI extensively in their healthcare sector and has seen drastic improvements and benefits for both patients and doctors. Firstly, AI 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 AI. 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 AI 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 healthcare-related documents and reports produced every year. This means that doctors will not need to read through every document on their own, which saves them a lot of time. It also allows them to make the best choice when picking new treatments. All these show how AI has significantly changed the healthcare system in Singapore by transforming its processes and providing better technology to improve the lives of people. 


In the United States of America, AI 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 so they may look more into it. Adopting AI helps find suspicious activity much more quickly as humans will not need to look through hours and hours of footage. Necessary investigations can then be carried out and subsequently apprehend any criminals before any damage can be done. This shows how AI helped maintain and uphold the country’s peace and security.


In the current situation where Covid-19 is prevalent, South Korea is using AI to fight against the pandemic. In the article “How this South Korean company created coronavirus test kits in three weeks”, Watson, Jeong and Hollingsworth (2020) mention that Korea was able to develop a covid-19 test kit in a matter of weeks due to the use of an AI-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 AI 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 helped 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 proper respective treatments based on the severity of their conditions. 


Nonetheless, AI by any means is still imperfect. One such widely known use of AI is autonomous vehicles. It has the capability to increase the safety of its drivers by helping them detect their surroundings and calculating the risks of collision and making the necessary adjustments to avoid it. It can also reduce the need for manpower in work-related cases, such as driving delivery trucks or even car-sharing and taxi services, by replacing drivers completely and going full automatic. However, when humans become too reliant on AI, things can happen. 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 terms of technological advancements and achievements, which has provided many benefits for its people. However, as the technology is still considered to be relatively new, there are still many areas of imperfection in






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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In 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 use it to train the robots. Aerial and lidar imagery is used 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. McQueen reports that the Finnish Forest Centre is also using Artificial intelligence (AI)
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