INSIGHT
THE FUTURE OF AI IS IN YOUR HANDS
The use of data science and artificial intelligence will revolutionise igaming ’ s supply chain , says Mark McGuinness
THE IGAMING INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN is an ecosystem that is heavily reliant on data and statistics . Data and statistics can be used for : the generation of more efficient betting odds for sports books ; behaviour-based economic marketing software that applies risk profiles to players ; revenue optimisation ; credit scoring ; predicative suggestions about which betting proposition the customer may bet on next ( or , more importantly , not bet on ); and certain types of digital campaign-based marketing , such as pay-per-click and programmatic marketing .
Data science — and robots with a human-like consciousness — used to be something that the public associated with Hollywood movies such as the Terminator franchise , more fantasy than fiction , right ? Many of us remember Terminator 2 ’ s now infamous quote — “ The Skynet Funding Bill is passed . The system goes online August 4th , 1997 . Human decisions are removed from strategic defense . Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate . It becomes self-aware at 2:14 am Eastern time , August 29th ”, or the more easily quoted “ The truth is out there ” from The X-Files . Yes , folks , whether we realise it or not , artificial intelligence or machine learning is highly prevalent even in the igaming supply chain , although perhaps not visible to the naked eye .
Data science in the context of artificial intelligence ( AI ) is a vast subject . Generally , if you ask the igaming public what AI is , the answer is a robot with consciousness . The reality is that it isn ’ t the robot , which is merely the outer vessel , it is the computer program that has the intelligence component . For example , the software behind Amazon ’ s Echo or Apple ’ s virtual companion application Siri is AI . The woman ’ s voice you hear is a projected personification of that AI , with no physical robot component involved . AI and its applications for us mere mortals can be summarised in three usage cases or categories . The first is referred to as ANI or artificial narrow intelligence and is sometimes known as weak AI . This means the AI specialises in one particular application area and doesn ’ t have certain intelligence capabilities . A good example of ANI is when you contact your credit card provider or bank and you talk to the automated voice recognition service that can never understand your accent .
The second category is artificial general intelligence ( AGI ). This is often referred to as strong AI or human-level AI . In other words , the machine can perform humanlike intellect-oriented tasks , such as problem-solving and thinking abstractly . An oft-cited example of AGI is IBM ’ s Deep Blue computer , the chess-playing computer that gained fame by beating then world chess champion Garry Kasparov .
The third category , and perhaps what ’ s now regarded as the future , is artificial superintelligence ( ASI ), a blend of the previous two AI applications . This is the computer that is much smarter than the best human minds in every academic field , full stop . It ’ s the supercomputer that can evolve into a higher state of consciousness , perhaps one of transcendence , to replace us mere carbon-based life forms .
So what is the deep impact for igaming business applications ? We know we are some years away from fully self-aware AI applications , such as the fictional Skynet or so-called Big Brother government . So what are today ’ s applications of AI for the igaming industry ?
Well , most of the applications involve data science and machine-based learning programs . This is where , yes , a human writes a series of algorithms looking
“ If they didn ’ t use machine-based AI , it ’ s likely they ’ d end up with an unviable product , because there would be far fewer in-play markets available to bet on ”
46 iGB Affiliate Issue 66 DEC 2017 / JAN 2018