By: Megan Plevniak
In a world with AI at our fingertips, numerous questions and curiosities emerge. In a tech driven world, we find ourselves with more questions than answers, along with increased hope and possibilities. Millions of people around the world are putting their trust into AI algorithms in their everyday routines, but the question remains: Is AI making us smarter, or just faster, and how does AI influence our everyday lives?
What is AI anyways? If you were to ask several people about this, you would get different responses. Some believe it’s a way of life allowing them to save time, streamline daily activities, and complete tasks quickly and efficiently. Others believe it is a cheat code believing that you never have to study for that test again, create your own resume, send emails to your boss, write a new article for your blog, make travel arrangements, or learn a new topic for your friends’ dinner party. And some individuals view AI as dangerous and untrustworthy. They think, will AI collect my personal data? Will it make mistakes? How can I trust AI rather than a professional? All these points are relevant—the bottom line is AI has integrated itself into our world with no plans to halt.
When did AI really come to life? According to research, AI, or artificial intelligence, first came to surface around 1966 with a tool called ELIZA. This was an AI program in which you could interact conversationally. Fast forward to the 21st century which welcomes voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. No doubt people have heard of these, but AI has since exploded with tools like Chat GPT, Meta AI, Grammarly AI, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. These tools are used to generate information and responses based on prompts that users provide.
Modern AI tools are widely utilized in today’s society. AI can provide information, guidance, and solve most problems quickly. AI is a collaborator for individuals with many people using AI tools in both their personal and professional lives. Pros of using these tools are they can help you learn a new topic or skill, brainstorm ideas, generate images, help with writing, such as sending emails and checking grammar, complete a project, create a resume, provide guidance for travel planning by creating itineraries and comparing hotels, and provide guidance around finances and shopping. Another method by which AI is being used is for goal setting and planning. Some people use AI for health and wellness support by creating meal plans, workout plans, and even receiving advice on mental health issues such as learning how to meditate.
This main question comes to mind: are we letting AI make too many decisions for us? How can we stay human in an AI-optimized world? This is a question for us as individuals to answer. For example, AI can answer almost any question, do almost anything, and solve complex problems, but what about that leak in your faucet? Or when your car has a malfunction? In a technologically advanced world brimming with endless possibilities, there are moments when AI is not the solution. You may still need a plumber or a mechanic, and that relies solely on a human. AI can teach you how to fix your plumbing issue (if you prefer DIY) or provide you with a link or a professional on Thumbtack, but there is no doubt you will still need a human for certain hands-on issues.
The question is not whether we should utilize AI, but rather how AI integrates in your day-to-day life. Take me for example: I did not use AI to write this article. I used AI to check grammar, articulate tone, brainstorm, and research some topics. The future may be uncertain, but the culture around AI continues to grow and influence the world.