When someone mentions Cognitive Computing, they are referring to software programs that are used to aid humans in decision making. In fact, computers already make use of some form of this technology. The definition of cognitive computing has been changing, and while there is no official definition, it’s generally agreed that it’s a branch of computer science that deals with the analysis of human decision making. It can also disseminate that information with the ultimate goal of helping humans in decision making.
To define the scope of this technology, one must understand how it works. In most cases, a human brain can be described as a series of neurons that work together in an extremely complicated situation. The brain then “spends” time considering all of the different inputs in the situation and makes the best possible decision based on those factors. With a large enough network, the human brain can work to solve complex problems. However, if the situation is more complex, or more variables are involved, the program that controls the network will be able to deal with those variables and make the best possible decision.
This type of software has been around for quite some time, however it was largely overlooked until the last few years. With the advent of new technology, the field of self-learning technologies, and especially the Internet, a new set of issues came up that required some specialization. In order to remain relevant, many people looked towards artificial intelligence as a means to deal with these new problems. Over time, this field began to gain recognition, and now we see the formation of many different categories.
One of the most well known categories is self-learning. Many educational institutions have used this technology in order to teach their students new concepts. Self-learning technologies involves teaching machines or web applications to learn from examples. Some of the most common uses for these technologies include textbook reading, answering simple questions, solving math problems, reviewing past topics, and completing educational videos. In fact, artificial intelligence research is beginning to look more closely at educational use of self-learning technologies.
Another popular application of cognitive modeling is natural language processing. Natural language processing refers to the process of converting spoken words into text. This is the same technique used by computers to translate text into spoken speech. The problem here is that while computers can do this extremely well, they have never been able to do it successfully without the help of humans, and this is where the role of the cognitive model comes in.
Humans, however, are not perfect. We often make mistakes when answering questions or writing in English. It takes a skilled interpreter, however, to successfully implement this cognitive technology into education settings. For example, if you were teaching English grammar to students, you would likely want to teach them not to commit the “rules” of English grammar to memory rather than repeating them back to themselves. In the past, you would probably need a private tutor in order to teach your students how to correctly execute these rules, but thanks to the arrival of cognitive technology, this no longer needs to be the case.
Cognitive computing models take an entire computer system and allow it to solve problems for its users. In doing so, the computer “decks” the problem according to a pre-defined algorithm. Once the problem is solved, the software sends back an output to the user. Humans, on the other hand, can only look at the output and question its veracity or genuineness. In many cases, the human brain simply cannot comprehend machine generated information as accurately as machine generated information.
Unlike the traditional programming languages, these algorithms run on pre-existing programs. This means that the same set of algorithms will run over again with new data in order to solve previously unknown problems. In many cases, the only thing that has to change is the input data, making the process entirely reproducible. If you are a student or developer in need of a new tool to solve a problem, you should definitely consider giving cognitive computing a shot!