Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term that refers to the ability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognising images, making decisions, and learning from data. AI is one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving fields of computer science, with applications in almost every domain of human activity.

AI can be divided into two main categories: narrow and general.

Narrow AI is the type of AI we encounter daily, such as voice assistants, search engines, facial recognition systems, and self-driving cars. These systems are designed to perform specific tasks well but cannot handle tasks outside their domain. In our industry, for dispatching problems (deciding which lift serves which call), we have applied fuzzy logic, neural networks and genetic algorithms; for lift planning, we have used expert systems. Machine learning, applied to lift service and maintenance, promises to improve reliability and customer satisfaction while reducing costs.

General AI is a form of artificial intelligence that aims to replicate human-like intelligence, including abilities such as reasoning, creativity, and common sense. This ambitious goal has been a long-standing research objective for developers. Still, it remains distant, as creating genuinely autonomous systems that can learn and adapt to any situation is very challenging.

Kai-Fu Lee, AI expert and venture capitalist, said, "Artificial intelligence will be the ultimate job disrupter. It will change every job, eliminate some, enhance others, and create entirely new categories of work that we haven't even imagined yet."

Do we, as a lift industry, need to be worried about our jobs?