Introduction
Majority of us today prefer doing most of our work through our mobile phones, be it booking ticket for a movie or a cab for traveling. In fact, today there are more mobile users than there are desktop users. Also, people prefer using a mobile application than a website, the reason being the ease of using them.
Mobile applications offer several advantages like personalization, providing notifications, working offline to some extent etc. Some of these features have been made possible using Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is further enhancing the usability of mobile applications and making our life simpler.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence has been around for a while now. In fact, a large majority of us have even used an Artificial Intelligence tool without being aware what it is. We all, at some time or other, have come across virtual personal assistants or chatbots. They are nothing but a creation of Artificial Intelligence.
For those who are still wondering, what Artificial Intelligence is? Here is a simple definition. Artificial Intelligence is the capability of an application to simulate human intelligence. It is growing at a fast pace and being used in almost all fields.
There are many intelligent software and systems in use today like preparing certain reports, writing a blog, video games, music apps, driverless cars, diagnosing diseases, assembling function in many factories etc. The mobile industry is also not untouched by this revolutionary field. Artificial Intelligence is being used more and more in mobile applications to make consumer experience pleasant and personalized.
Machine Learning – The brain behind the device
The mobile applications are making use of what is known as machine learning to enhance their functionality. Machine learning is a subset of Artificial Intelligence. It lets the application learn on its own, without any human intervention. It does this with the help of data collected by the application. It uses complex algorithms which collect and analyze the data and draw conclusions.
And what’s more, machine learning also lets applications improve as more and more data is collected. The algorithms can recognize patterns and draw conclusions. Machine learning can process large amounts of data and draw conclusions based on this data. It is generally applied in areas where any explicit programming is not possible. The capabilities of mobile application using Machine Learning are increasing more and more with the passage of time as more and more data is collected by the application.
E-commerce Mobile Applications and Artificial Intelligence
Machine learning has a special implication for the e-commerce applications. It is helpful in providing a wholesome experience to the online user. Today’s consumer has a plethora of options to choose from. So, it is important to stand out in the crowd and provide the customer with a delightful shopping experience. One of the ways that the e-commerce applications are using to engage more and more customers is personalization.
Personalization – The most powerful application of Artificial Intelligence
So, what really is personalization? Personalization is providing each user with a shopping experience that is specific to him; provided according to his likes and preferences. Hence, it is a means of retaining the customers for a longer duration and making them spend more while using your e-commerce application.
One way of providing personalization is providing recommendations based on similar previous searches, recent searches, browsing history, demographics, preferences etc. People tend to search for more items by doing so. On the other hand, if the customers are not provided with any assistance, they tend to shop less or switch to other applications which provide a better service.
So, in this way machine learning or the use of AI results in a satisfied customer, more sale and greater chances of the customer using the application repeatedly.
Deep Learning, a part of machine learning, is the means which makes this personalization possible by recognizing the patterns based on a customer’s search behavior. Apart from this other data such as a user’s location and contact information are also used by Artificial Intelligence programs.
Artificial Intelligence programmers are constantly devising mechanisms to store data in ways which could be better utilized by the machine learning algorithms.
The assistance given by smart mobile applications using Artificial Intelligence ranges from aiding in product search using the customer’s searching and purchasing data, suggesting products and detecting frauds.
Virtual Personal Assistant – Making the life simpler
The next advantage provided by Artificial Intelligence to the mobile application users is the Virtual Personal Assistant. There are some mundane tasks that a person requires to do daily which can really get him bogged down like checking email, scheduling tasks, preparing lists etc. A virtual personal assistant takes care of all such tasks, giving the user time to perform other important tasks. An excellent example of a personal assistant is Jarvis. It keeps you updated with the latest news updates, weather information, calls, text messages etc.
Voice Assistant – Making searching convenient
Another type of assistant developed using Artificial Intelligence is the Voice Assistant. You can ask a question to the assistant and it provides you with suitable answers. It spares you with the task of typing lengthy queries, saves your time, frees your hands and is easy to set up.
So, how does it work? The voice assistant uses voice recognition, natural language processing, and speech synthesis to resolve the query and provide suitable results. It uses complicated algorithms to perform such tasks. Some of the other tasks that can be done using Voice Assistant are playing music, adding items to a shopping list, listening to an audiobook etc. Some of the popular Voice Assistants are Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Now, Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana etc.
Artificial Intelligence – A technology being adopted by all
All the above-stated uses of Artificial Intelligence make it a worthwhile technology investing in. All the major companies today like Apple, Amazon, Google etc. have invested in and making successful use of this technology. Besides these large organizations, small and medium businesses can also benefit from Artificial Intelligence. A wide variety of Artificial Intelligence tools are available in the market for the use of small and medium businesses as well.
Some more uses of Artificial Intelligence in Mobile Applications
Today as the mobile users are increasing day by day so are the mobile applications. The users are finding it difficult to search for mobile apps which suit their specific needs. Artificial Intelligence is thus being used to help the users find mobile applications that suit their specific needs by means of its voice-based search process.
Artificial Intelligence is also being used to provide a common interface for the IoT (Internet of Things) connected devices. The IoT connected devices range from mobile phones to smartwatches and much more which can connect and exchange data.
Artificial Intelligence is also being used to attract more and more consumers to the mobile applications. Algorithms are being designed which use the collected data and provide suitable marketing notifications.
This may lead to more shopping on the part of customers thus increasing sales and revenue. The use of intelligent financial applications helps retain users by providing information on any dubious payment attempts. In the office too, intelligent mobile applications can be used to increase employee productivity. Apart from this intelligent application are also capable of proving competitor information, industry practices etc. They are also capable of preparing comparison charts which can be a great aid in planning.
Future of Artificial Intelligence in Mobile Applications
The attention has now shifted from just providing for the everyday tasks to making the mobile applications more intelligent. The applications will make use of cloud applications and big data analysis in doing so. They are being built to understand logic and enhance their potential. Two cloud services which could be using Artificial Intelligence in mobile applications are – Data as a service for consistent data discovery and Analytics as a service to make informed and better decisions.
Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. Its use in mobile applications is increasing day by day making the user’s experience delightful.
Conclusion
Use of Artificial Intelligence is thus the need of the hour – to make your mobile applications more user-friendly, to earn more revenue, to get ahead of the competition and to stand out from the crowd of mobile applications.
