Why Is Everyone Talking About AI?
How to manage artificial intelligence in your daily life.
Lately, it seems like you can’t get through the day without hearing about AI. News headlines, social media, and podcasts are bombarding us with questions and hypotheticals.
As a tech expert and speaker (and someone with an AI tech in development — stay tuned!), I field questions about AI all the time. Let’s dive into some of the main concerns, upsides, and more, together!
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence is computers or technologies that simulate human activities like learning or problem-solving. Popular examples include chatbots, e-commerce, smart home devices, autonomous vehicles, facial recognition, and recommendation systems.
Fun fact: AI has been around since the 1950s, starting with “The Imitation Game,” a program developed by Arthur Samuel to play checkers, the first ever to do so independently.
Here’s where you might see AI every day:
Netflix suggestions
Google Maps ‘fastest routes’ option
Search engines
Social media
Autocorrect
And the list goes on.
Why is Artificial Intelligence Popular?
AI is a huge topic of discussion in every industry (and many households). Why now?
Well, the launch of chatGPT, an Open AI chatbot, opened the world of AI wide open. Now, people can see AI working in real-time, responding to prompts, questions, and requests.
This new wave of AI technology that caters to the needs of individuals in daily life has caught the interest of technology investors. This has led to a real insurgence of the term as startups and emerging technologies adopt AI.
Is AI Going to Take Over?
The parts of AI that people are afraid of are computers that are much smarter than us creating other computers and applications that may not benefit humans and the environment. Basically, people are afraid AI is going to become sentient and start running the show.
This concern has a lot of people calling for regulation. This technology can be harnessed and managed with strong rules and laws in place.
How To Use AI
Chances are, you’re already using AI, even if you don’t know it. It’s behind algorithms, recommendations, software and more.
If you’re searching for more options, here are some great ones (especially for communications professionals and creators):
Midjourney or Dall-E for AI image creation
Vizard.ai to clip YouTube videos into shorter videos
Grammarly to help you catch writing mistakes and overall improve your writing
Using AI Responsibly
Just because AI is exploding into every part of our lives doesn’t mean we should trust it blindly. Here are some questions to keep in mind when using AI:
Where did the information come from? Many sites steal information from other people for their machines to learn so there are some important questions about AI and intellectual property.
Energy usage. AI uses more energy than regular computing and may add pressure to the energy grid in the future.
Vetting process. AI is still a work in progress. It’s important to have humans vet the information it generates.
Interested in learning more? Catch me talking about all things AI in this CTV Saskatoon segment!
AI is a favourite topic of mine. I offer AI training and workshops, media comments, and more. Reach out to me for a quote, interview or to fill a speaking slot.