A quick and simple explanation of what AI is all about

Artificial Intelligence (AI).

It’s hard to imagine how far the technology has evolved in such a short period of time. Many of us have a hard time visualizing what AI actually means.

Do not fret, because you’ll have all the answers by the end of this column, OK, so a fraction of the answers. Wait, maybe a tiny sliver of a piece of the answers.

Why? Because the rapid growth of AI and its many uses make it virtually impossible to fully understand and comprehend what’s happening or what’s next.

Let’s start with the basic, what is AI? Artificial Intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence programmed with the ability to think, learn, and solve problems. That’s it.

It’s learning from various sources including historical data and training datasets that the programmers have given it access to, including some internet sources, which becomes part of the AI “hallucination” problem over time, but that’s for a different article.

We’ve all watched AI develop over time, but without really seeing that development happen around us. Slow changes around us happening in what’s been a short period of time have helped AI become somewhat ingrained in a lot of our actions.

Think about the fact that I might need to reboot my car. I know at least a couple of folks who laughed at the thought of the car needing to be rebooted for proper functioning, but it’s true.

Do you have a lane departure warning system in your car? Do you have adaptive cruise control? How about collision warnings? Voice-activated systems? All of these systems embedded in a car are using some form of AI now.

Have you uttered the phrase, “Hey Siri,” “OK Google,” or “Alexa” around a device to get action? Siri was launched 13 years ago and has always used AI for responses, actions, and helping you with basic tasks.

Over the past 13 years, think about how many times you’ve used AI without even realizing you were doing so.

The models have grown, the use has expanded, and the potential has dramatically increased, but so have the discussion around the use of AI, the ethical use of AI, and people having fear about the “what ifs” of AI domination.

We now fully understand we’ve been using AI for a while, so, truly what’s next?

I was in Phoenix, Ariz., in the spring of this year for a meeting of IT colleagues. In that meeting, the room was abuzz with how many people “drove” from the airport in Waymo, a self-driving taxi. It is admittedly intimidating to step into a car with no driver and hope for the best.

What are the potential uses of AI in your daily life? Cars will get smarter at collision avoidance, those self-driving cars are becoming more and more common and safer, your smart phone will get better at understanding your daily routine (mine already brings up maps at a specific time of day around regular movement patterns I have), and you’ll see more discussion of AI in other areas of your life.

Many of us think that AI is likely just to help us draft that email, define a task list, or write a clever Thanksgiving lunch menu, but this is just the drumstick of the turkey!

Take Healthcare for example. Could AI potentially help overburdened radiologists find the patterns for abnormalities in various scans?

How about reducing the time a doctor spends entering notes in the medical record giving them more time to spend in the room with you.

AI could also help a pharmacist more quickly identify if any of your prescription medications will have negative impacts or work together seamlessly. The depth of usage goes much further than any of us may imagine.

The tech giants have invested heavily into AI betting on it as the next wave. Your phone will continue to learn about you. You will have more targeted advertisements while you’re using social media.

You’ll see the uses expand for retailers, for healthcare providers, for car manufacturers, and almost any other industry you can imagine.

You hear the doomsday talk, but I for one am not scared and do not believe you should be.

As long as we all demand that AI is being developed and used ethically, with appropriate guidelines, and we understand where it should be limited, it can be implemented safely in a way that will help us all be more efficient for years to come.

So, unlike that turkey headed to your Thanksgiving dinner table, AI is alive and well.