In a recent Forbes article, I discussed the ubiquity of AI, and how it is seeping into just about every aspect of our lives – for the better.
AI has potential to change the world in major ways — helping to cure cancer, improve the environment and generally make our lives easier and safer. But more pragmatic uses of AI are already changing our lives today.
How is AI at work in our everyday lives? Below are a few highlights from the article:
- Smart spam filters. What person on the planet doesn’t feel like he’s drowning in emails, but did you know that without AI you would be getting a whole lot more junk mail? Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use AI algorithms to filter them out before they even reach our inbox – by looking for patterns in the emails that might point to spam.
- Chatbots and virtual assistants. This form of chatty AI is popping up everywhere, and many times we don’t even realize that we are interacting with it. While some chatbots are still working on perfecting speech recognition and have a ways to go, they are continually learning and getting smarter all the time.
- Navigation systems. We rely daily on map and navigation apps to get us where we’re going, helping us re-route in real time if there’s a slow down or accident up ahead, or alerting us to speed traps when we’re driving too fast. These navigations systems use complex algorithms to do all of this, leveraging huge datasets that are constantly being updated.
- Personalized marketing. Chances are you have received personalized recommendations based on your buying or viewing history. While this can be annoying at times, sometimes it’s nice to know that someone understands you.
The Forbes article only shares a few examples of pervasive AI, but the list could go on and on. Take a look around and you may be surprised at how many everyday activities and objects are powered by AI in some form — and it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
