When we sit down to speak with Harper Gallagher over a Zoom call, her head is tucked into her phone.
‘Wow, I thought this would happen. Wow…’
We ask her what’s happened, fearing something bad. But she holds out her phone for us to read, and our concerns are alleviated. The headline reads: “AI Named Word Of The Year By Collins Dictionary”.
‘Oh,’ we mutter with uncertainty. ‘Is that a good thing or a bad thing?’
‘Well, it’s a thing, that’s for sure.’ Harper continues reading for around a minute. We pretend to fiddle with our mic and video settings. Then she puts her phone down.
‘Yeah,’ she continues, ‘it’s a thing. Bound to happen, of course. Although surely Collins Dictionary knows that AI is an abbreviation of two words. Artificial intelligence. They should pick one.’
We continue on this topic. We’re talking to a casino games specialist, Harper Gallagher from JohnSlots, and she knows a thing or two about AI and its possibilities.
‘What are your feelings on AI?’ we ask her.
She laughs and cracks her fingers.
The Question Of AI In 2023
‘First off, it’s very hard to answer that question in an all-rounder kind of way. AI is being used for many different things, in many different industries. Not all of them are good, not all of them are bad.
‘If we’re talking about online casinos – which I guess we are, as I work for them! – then the influence that AI is having and will have is definitely beneficial. After all, AI is just another piece of tech. But it’s strong tech, and it has the potential to make online casinos an altogether better experience.’
We ask her how AI can aid online casinos to be better.
AI And Online Casinos
‘The thing that I’m most excited about is the way that AI can personalise the online experience for the player. It can do this by gathering a huge amount of data automatically, absorbing the past and present playing habits of an individual, and then orchestrating their playing experience in the future.
‘This means that, whenever you log onto an online casino, you’re set to get an experience that is unique to you. This taps into the most important trait of an online casino: convenience. There will be a synergy between you and the online casino that makes it faster to play your favourite games, make your payments, and traverse the platform. It would be akin to opening your fridge and finding your favourite dinners already made for the week ahead.’
We tell her that this sounds pretty good, but what else can AI do for online casinos?
The Full Range Of AI Potential
‘Well, the customer experience will be elevated. That’s already happening. Right now, AI chatbots are being employed by online casinos that offer service 24/7, and they’re getting better everyday. There’s also a lot of emphasis being put into protecting the player. AI can detect signs of addiction by analysing the duration of play, betting patterns, and deposits. It can then take the appropriate measures to help the player.
‘It can also ensure the best protection from hackers, halting unauthorised access and safeguarding against account breaches. For game developers, it can also make the process of creating and building slots faster than ever before. For a good few years now, AI has been used in video gaming, but there’s so much more it can achieve for developers. Add to this that all of the existing qualities will improve, because AI is designed to learn and understand more about its tasks the more it carries them out. Who knows where we could be in five or so years?
With all of this in mind, we can’t help wondering why Harper wasn’t enthusiastic about AI being named word of the year.
The Problem With AI
‘Well,’ Harper responds, ‘it’s not all good news. AI is still seen as a new concept, and the dangers are not being publicised enough. Yes, AI can make online casinos even better than they are now, but it can also damage players. For instance, what if players start using AI-generated predictions when it comes to betting? What if developers become over-reliant on AI, and that leads to a loss of creativity and variety? We know that AI can upgrade security systems, but it can also be used as a tool by cyberattackers who are trying to infiltrate a system.
‘There are a lot of things to think about, and I think the problem right now is that the world is too excited to pause and think about them. That’s exemplified by the “word of the year” thing. AI is the word of the year, but we need to take time to find out what the word means, and how we can use it safely.
‘If I want to be optimistic, AI will only be good for online casinos and the world of iGaming in general. We’ll just have to wait and see!’
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