Details
- Publication date
- 13 May 2022
- Author
- Joint Research Centre
- Topic area
- Evolution of AI technology
Description
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers the potential to transform our lives in radical ways. However, we lack the tools to determine which achievements will be attained in the near future. Also, we usually underestimate which various technologies in AI are capable of today.
This report constitutes the second edition of a study proposing an example-based methodology to categorise and assess several AI technologies, by mapping them onto Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) (e.g., maturity and availability levels).
We first interpret the nine TRLs in the context of AI and identify different categories in AI to which they can be assigned.
We then introduce new bidimensional plots, called readiness-vs-generality charts, where we see that higher TRLs are achievable for low-generality technologies focusing on narrow or specific abilities, while high TRLs are still out of reach for more general capabilities.
In an incremental way, this edition builds on the first report on the topic by updating the assessment of the original set of AI technologies and complementing it with an analysis of new AI technologies. We include numerous examples of AI technologies in a variety of fields and show their readiness-vs-generality charts, serving as a base for a broader discussion of AI technologies.
Finally, we use the dynamics of several AI technologies at different generality levels and moments of time to forecast some short-term and mid-term trends for AI.