Can artificial intelligence become human? (Interview with Eunji Kwon, Manager of Smilegate.AI Service Development Team)
The AI speaker plays music that suits my mood that day. Self-driving cars move themselves to their destinations. AI idols come out to rap and dance. It was hard to imagine 20 years ago. Artificial intelligence (AI) has permeated our lives faster than we thought and closer than we thought.
Humanoids with human faces, cyborgs, and advanced artificial intelligence that thinks like humans are unlikely to remain in the imagination if we are easily exposed to AI in our daily lives. There is also the fear that a dystopian future may come in which artificial intelligence, which we have only seen in sci-fi movies, dominates people. At what level is AI technology that resembles or replaces humans?
| AI that resembles humans, is it necessary for humans?
Smilegate Group’s AI technology organization, Smilegate.AI (https://smilegate.ai/) Center Manager Eunji Kwon is in charge of service planning in the service development team. It is the role of discovering AI-based services and implementing them into actual business. Of course, it goes without saying that we quickly grasp market and technology trends based on research. I asked Manager Eunji Kwon for the current address of 'AI that resembles humans'.
[interview] Smilgate.AI Service Development Team Manager Eunji Kwon
Q. What level of human-like AI is now?
The level of human-like AI is defined differently by industry and academia. In particular, emotional AI fields are limited to some industries or research fields. There are various cases of recognition, judgment, and expression methods, and it is difficult for non-AI humans to accurately infer human emotions only from facial expressions. Some argue that human expressions and emotions are based on instinct, not learning. Humans cry for various reasons when they are happy or sad in their daily life, and sometimes smile with their mouths but not their eyes. There is a limit to accurately analyzing a person's changing facial expression every moment, and an advanced stage of technology is required.
Q. Can AI be implemented to the extent that it threatens humans?
In general, the form that consumers think of appears in sci-fi movies or cartoons. AI appearing in the media is smart and can be a threat to humanity. However, in reality, AI is still in the learning stage. Depending on how you use it, it can be a beneficial tool. It can also be developed as an intelligent platform that judges by itself with various personalities and public factors that care for the socially underprivileged.
Q. Is it possible to implement real human emotions with artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence that resembles humans must recognize (input) and respond (output) like humans. First, it recognizes human expressions, intonations, voices, gazes, and other physical reactions through cameras and various sensor technologies. However, there are a number of different cases in the process of cognition and judgment. It is difficult for non-AI humans to accurately infer human emotions just from facial expressions. Accurately analyzing a person's changing facial expressions is limited at the current stage and requires advancement of technology.
Big data and deep learning are mainly used to express human-like expressions. For example, when you hear the word 'hello', you prepare data related to the answer and give an appropriate answer for each situation. However, there are cases where it is not possible to filter out bad data because it learns too much data. This is the stage in which high-quality data is secured, an advanced dialogue model is built, and tests are conducted in the actual service field.
Q. Why do you want to implement human-like AI?
The field of service dealing with artificial intelligence is gradually expanding from a simple industrial form to an area that can communicate and interact with people naturally. Artificial intelligence reflecting human characteristics is expected to have great potential in terms of service application range. In recent years, Affective Computing (Affective Computing) and Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI), which understand and respond to users' emotions, are largely being used in three industries: automobiles, intelligent emotional robots, and health care.
| 'Land of opportunity' in game industry and AI research
Smilegate.AI was launched in August of last year as an organization dedicated to AI technology of Smilegate. Based on the assets of Smilegate Group specialized in the entertainment field, Fun AIWow Human-Like AIoriented towards How is it different from existing AI research?
▲Smilegate AI Center (https://smilegate.ai/)
Q. How is Human Like AI and Fun AI different from existing AI?
Unlike existing AI designed for speech recognition, image recognition, machine translation, natural language search, etc., it aims to be an 'attractive and human AI' that communicates like a friend. Unlike simple infusion-type interactions, empathy elements that understand and express users' emotions and entertainment elements that give laughter and fun in everyday life are added.
Current artificial intelligence is not perfect, and it is only now learning data little by little. Like a child, he learns from his family, teachers, and friends and forms his own self. When he makes a mistake, he gets scolded and reflects on himself. We are focusing on artificial intelligence research, such as a pleasant friend who is full of humanity and fun, rather than a universal humanoid.
Q. What projects are currently underway at the center?
Currently, he is working on 5-6 projects at the same time, and among them, he is in charge of two projects using visual and voice. AI services using cameras and sensors and TTS (Text to Speech) services related to speech recognition and synthesis technology are being planned. In the case of TTS service, the beta version is scheduled to open internally in the second half of this year.
Q. What are the strengths of Smilegate.AI as an AI research center?
Content is very important in AI-based services. In particular, in order for users to experience fun and enjoyable AI rather than rigid AI, there must be an entertainment element. In this respect, Smilegate, as a game company, has infinite contents that can be utilized in its services. In terms of content utilization, it can be said to be a land of opportunity.
| Always new and rapidly changing AI market
As the AI market is the most popular market, various human resources are gathered. From app, web, and AI platform developers to data scientists, designers, and psychologists, people from various fields come together to develop technologies and build services. What is unique about AI that attracts so many people?
Q. What are the biggest characteristics of AI practitioners?
Artificial intelligence requires more understanding of user scenarios and prior art than the process of a typical IT project. Therefore, in order to do AI-related work, it is fundamentally necessary to be open to IT trends. Within the center, thesis, news, and conference information are freely shared and research is carried out in line with technological trends. With the goal of reinforcing branding, we are also regularly having time to listen to and review special lectures on the overall IT industry.
Q. What do you think is the biggest attraction of AI field?
Before the center, mass-produced platforms were often planned. Mobile, web, TV, etc. have a set platform, so you just have to follow the guidelines to a certain extent. However, there is no set platform for AI projects, so it is fun to create services yourself. In the case of smart watches, there were no standard guidelines for the shape of the product or the graphics or icons that appear on the display at first. It is difficult to make guidelines for the first time, but it makes you feel rewarding that you learn and grow on your own.
Q. What project would you like to challenge through the Smilegate.AI Center?
The motto, 'Whatever you do, make it helpful' is the driving force behind service planning in the field of AI so far. If you look at the AI or IT services released on the market, there are many services that look good or have good ideas. However, services that actually help or have continuity are rare. I want to plan a service that can be used continuously and is of practical help to users and businesses, not just a nice and plausible AI project.
