Students blog

Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Personal Assistants are no longer part of the future. Each is a part of the reality we are living today and will become increasingly the new citizens of this world. In October 2017, Sophia the robot became the first robot to receive citizenship of any country (Saudi Arabia). The hopes for a social robot are not far from reality; we have so far Jibo, Kuri, and Temi. The list actually is more than these three robots. Whether it is in the factory, on the road, at home and, well, almost everywhere, the robot revolution is moving at a very fast pace with no sign that it will slow down.

When Amazon unveiled Alexa, the voice assistant system, three and a half years ago, everyone thought it would be just a temporary trend of the season. Now, against all expectations, Alexa has four more siblings all running under the Echo name and dozens of other third-party products that run on the same platform. This tiny device from Amazon has made it all the way to 10% of U.S. households. Google Home comes next, which is in 4% of homes. This phenomenal number suggests something – how we are obsessed with all technological gadgets. As Alexa and its siblings are sitting there learning about our habits and improving their algorithms technology, online orders made through these voice assistant devices are projected to jump from $2 billion to $40 billion by 2022.

The corporate world and the hospitality industry are no exception. Chatbots are becoming the new customer service agents of the 21st century, with a very advanced AI capability that allows the system to conduct conversations almost like humans. Currently, chatbots allow a hotel or travel company to provide 24/7 support through online chat or instant messaging services. In the healthcare sector, according to Manoj Saxena, former Chief Business of IBM Watson System, 90% of the nurses in the hospitals who use that system now follow its guidance for utilization management decisions. Down the road, self-driving car companies are also in a race to launch the next taxi robot; there are already thousands of them around the country for road testing.

The new age factory is totally different than it used to be. It is called Industry 4.0, where robots are making robots. Countries like Japan, China, and Germany have invested billions of dollars in developing robots that are smart enough to collaborate with humans, even low skilled workers. Robots are not just going to conquer earth, space also has been an arena for smart machines. NASA historically has an edge when it comes to robotics. Ironically, the first citizens of Mars were robots, space rovers Curiosity and Opportunity were the first to land on Mars. In its quest to conquer Mars, NASA is planning to send drone robots to help survey the red planet by 2020.

College campuses might make you feel safe and secure; however, students must realize that the potential for crime is inevitable no matter where you are. No one deserves to be the victim of a crime. Unfortunately, no matter what preventative actions we take, someone may still choose to victimize us. With some proactive thinking and preparation, you can lessen the chances of being a victim. From my personal experiences, I have gathered these top four top tips that will make an impact in your campus safety.  

Maintain privacy on social media

It may sound contradicting: social media and privacy – you use social media to connect with the world! However, we should be careful about who we add as friends, especially someone we don’t know or have not met in person. Posting personal pictures and information about your life online can also be risky. Predators can track your life, find out about your habits, and learn about your lifestyle – which makes you a potential target. Make sure to check your privacy settings on social media and only add people who you have met in person.  

Know where to go

When you are new to a place, always give yourself a good amount of time to learn about the area and places of interest to you. Your new classmates may tempt you into going to the nightclub downtown, but consider the environment and the surrounding areas. Is this where you will want to be after dark and out of your element? Will there be a group to travel with or will you be by yourself? Consider this before committing to the trip. It may be better to stay close to home than to end up in an uncomfortable situation.

Secure your belongings (lock, lock, lock)

The only place I trust is my mom’s home. When you are on your own at college, it is a totally new place for you. Securing your belongings should be a top priority for a less stressful life. You never know who is sitting next to you: always secure your valuables with a lock. For your digital items like thumb drives, laptop, and your phone, always remember to secure them with a passcode. It is very hard to trust people with your personal data like pictures and videos or study items. With cloud-based file sharing becoming more accessible, you can safely upload your files from any device, and most universities offer this service for free.

Learn how to defend yourself

It is never too late to learn how to protect yourself. Being able to defend yourself or a loved one is always a good idea. Many campuses offer information on this topic and there are plenty of online resources to use. Think about carrying pepper spray or learning basic self-defense tactics. Know where campus emergency phones are located. Never walk alone, especially late at night. Find out if your campus offers late-night security escorts.

College is one of the first opportunities for students to learn to live on our own. As the Spiderman movies say best, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Be a responsible student and learn how to keep yourself safe! These four tips have kept me safe so far, and plenty of other students out of harm’s way.