Like theMetaverseandNFTsbefore it, it feels near impossible to follow tech news right now without hearing about AI.
Its tempting to write AI off entirely.
That would be a mistake.
As an AI skeptic, heres where I think AI is actually most useful.
It feels genuinely novel.
Thats the kind of AI Im interested in.
It sucks to feel like youre losing content, which is where AI-powered generative fill plays a part.
You might even have access to both options.
It uses machine learning to analyze images and add detail that wasnt in the original shot.
For instance, lets say you have a photo of your grandmother taken over 50 years ago.
In other words, AI is great for when something is on the tip of your tongue.
Say theres an old movie you remember a scene from, but dont know anything else about it.
In that case, even coming up with the keywords to put into Google can be difficult.
While youre waiting, its possible AI can answer your question instead.
(This also happened if I excluded the result I wasnt looking for from my search.)
Meanwhile, both ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot guessed the comic I wanted on the first try.
It is notArkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
One reason for that?
Writing an email might be physically taxing for some people.
Thats just one example Fredrik Ruben, head of theDynavox Group, gave me in a call recently.
Take AI voice cloning.
Or lets say you need an electronic voice box to help you speak.
Still, Ruben did note one area where using AI to help a disabled patient presents a risk.
AI is quite dangerous if the user has a cognitive disability, Ruben said.
And yet, it can still take so long.
That goes double if youre transcribing audio.
Take this McDonalds menu I created using Copilot.
(Heres theactual menuto compare it against.)
In a similar vein, programs likeOtter.aiand now eveniOS Voice Memoscan generate full transcriptions from audio recordings.
Quickly make trip itineraries
Time for something fun.
Take this Japan trip I asked Copilot to plan, for example.
Summarize your inbox
Time for me to admit my secret shame.
According to my phones mail app, I have over 89,000 unread emails.
Ive given up: Theres just no way Im getting to inbox zero all on my own.
AI will even help you draft up a response.
Like I said earlier in this article, I dont necessarily need all of these.
But when compared to getting paralyzed by the size of my inbox and just skipping over most of it?
Yeah, it should make my skimming much more productive.
I feel like Im not alone there.
For good or ill, itdoesnt seem like AI is going anywhere anytime soon.
