Many years ago, one of the expectations of artificial intelligence by Shen Nong was that machines would engage in stock trading. Therefore, I often refer to the artificial intelligence focused on in academia as “Buffett-style intelligence.” Compared to that, I call industrial intelligence “Wu Shuzhen-style intelligence.” Wu Shuzhen is the wife of former Taiwanese leader Chen Shui-bian, who was sentenced for insider trading. The reason insider trading is easy to profit from is not due to comprehensive knowledge or complex reasoning, but rather “timely, complete, and accurate” information. The widespread application of the Internet precisely provides machines with “timely, complete, and accurate” information, allowing simple knowledge to create value.
I mentioned “Wu Shuzhen-style intelligence”, and a junior asked me: Your statement is very similar to expert systems. Indeed, this kind of intelligence resembles the simplest expert systems, or even uses just a single piece of knowledge. When I was a graduate student in the early 1990s, expert systems were very popular. The teacher said: Thousands of expert systems have been developed both domestically and internationally, and these systems can reason using thousands of pieces of knowledge.
But the question is: Why did these systems gradually fade away later?
To answer this question, I recalled a story about a Chinese idiom, called the skill of dragon slaying. This story tells that: A young man spent many years learning to slay dragons. The skill of slaying dragons is very great, but it cannot be used to make a living: because there are no dragons to slay. Conversely, if he knew how to slaughter pigs, he might still earn a living.
The past expert systems faced such an awkward situation. Expert systems could reason using hundreds or thousands of pieces of knowledge. However, in daily life, there are not many scenarios that require such extensive knowledge. As a result, expert systems gradually became a skill for slaying dragons. In contrast, “Wu Shuzhen-style intelligence” is like pig slaughtering: the methods are very simple, yet the application scenarios are particularly numerous.
Why does “Wu Shuzhen-style intelligence” have many application scenarios? Because the Internet can provide machines with timely, complete, and accurate information, facilitating timely decision-making. This is very beneficial for creating value.
In reality, the value of many decisions is related to timeliness. For example, I recently suffered a myocardial infarction. Fortunately, timely treatment helped me avoid a disaster. One important reason for escaping this disaster was that a doctor friend provided me with correct advice through the Internet in a timely manner. In factories, the effectiveness of management or control is often related to the timeliness of decisions. For instance, if the root cause of quality issues can be identified in time, it can reduce waste and substandard products; if equipment hazards can be detected promptly, it can prevent quality or safety accidents; if products needed by users can be produced in time, it can secure high-value orders, etc.
Therefore, the combination of the Internet and machine decision-making will bring a wealth of valuable opportunities. The method of “Wu Shuzhen-style intelligence” is simpler than traditional expert systems, yet it can create value. A technology that can create value has vitality.