Despite being seen in pop culture as some sort of enormous and self-aware force, real artificial intelligence is much more limited in scope. This does not, however, imply that AI is in any way unimportant or avoidable in modern tech systems. Using online casinos as an example, it's possible to gain a real appreciation of what AI systems can bring, and how, even if you don't see them, they continue to keep us safe.

The Offerings of a Modern Online Casino

Modern online casinos offer a huge range of games, like roulette, poker, and craps. This usually includes many online slots, such as Zaida's Fortune, Starburst, and Bonanza. Backing these individual games up is a website designed to scale to both mobile and desktops, and payment systems that integrate with different popular digital currency systems. Combined, myriad complicated systems on these websites work in tandem, most of which rely in some way on some form of AI input of continued support.

Money and Madness

Since online casinos manage money, the most important aspects of their operation tie into keeping player money safe. Any slip in this regard is immediately harmful to both website and customer, so safety is paramount. In terms of implementation, there is a range of standards and technological frameworks that casinos need to follow to be able to accept online payment.

"Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligen" (CC BY 2.0) by mikemacmarketing
The AI part of this equation comes from how the testing of these security measures is managed. Online casino pages, like every website, inherently include a range of potential attack avenues that a human can't realistically check. One of the most common forms of these attacks is called a dedicated denial of service, or DDOS attack.
This occurs when a large number of bots flood a website, overloading traffic and causing shutdowns and unintentional website behavior. AI can run simulations like this easily, meaning that if a DDOS occurs on an actual website, the servers will be ready, and payment information will be safe. AI can also adapt in real-time to unpredicted DDOS behavior, working to see patterns and block points of ingress.

Game Testing

More directly, the money that moves between the player and the casino comes from the games. For this coordination to be trustworthy, we need to be sure that games are operating as they should. Again, this creates a problem with human testing, as there are so many potential issues that could arise that it's not realistic for a human-run process to cover all bases.
Instead, an AI can run thousands of simulations in a fraction of the time it would take for a human to complete the same process. The inclusion of AI in this area is a big part of why games like slots are infinitely more reliable than many other forms of more complicated interactive entertainment.

"Tests" (CC BY 2.0) by Lachlan Hardy
Notice them or not, AI is in constant motion behind the scenes, both in real-time and in the influence of the established technology we use. From keeping us safe from attackers to ensuring products work as they should, the abilities of these machines place them far above what can be accomplished by man's hands alone. In essence, they're just another type of tool, just one that works without the physical forms we've grown to expect.