You might still think of artificial intelligence, or AI, as something quite futuristic, but chances are you are already using it several times a day without even thinking about it. AI is everywhere, from the latest technology in entertainment, to sending a text message.
Prepare to be surprised! Even if you do not yet have a robot tending to your every need, here are ten examples of artificial intelligence hidden in your everyday life.
1. Chatbots
Getting in touch with the customer service department of many companies is a lot easier these days due the development of chatbots. It is likely you’ve used a chatbot when contacting a big brand. After opening the live chat function, you are given a list of options from which to select, then based on which option you choose, you will be given more options.
Some of the most advanced chatbots will even ask you to type a few words about why you are getting in touch. The bot recognizes certain words and uses these to bring you the content you are looking for. They are usually incredibly accurate, and you might even leave feeling like you’ve been speaking to a real person.
2. Social Media
There are many ways social media uses AI, and many platforms couldn’t function without it. For example, artificial intelligence generates friend suggestions, and it is also used to prevent online bullying by filtering harmful content.
Most of what you see on your newsfeed is also delivered by AI. The technology recognizes the type of content you are most interested in, based on what/who you usually engage with, and then presents you with more of this content at the top of your news feed.
3. Composing a Message
Sending a text or email has become second nature to most of us, so we don’t even think about the technology behind it. Every time you misspell a word, it automatically corrects it, or offers a suggestion, AI is hard at work. Programs like Grammarly and autocorrect use artificial intelligence to detect mistakes and replace them with the correct version.
Some more sophisticated programs also use natural language processing to learn your habits. So, you might see suggested words appear as you type, based on what you usually write.
4. 3D Photographs
3D photos look really impressive, and it’s all thanks to artificial intelligence. Cameras or apps use AI to analyze the image depth map, to detect which areas of the image have more depth and to then generate the final 3D image.
You can view these photographs on most phones, but not all have had this capacity until recently. Watch this space because this technology could be a lot more widespread in the very near future.
5. Navigation Apps
With a map of the world in our pockets on our smartphones, we’ll never get lost again. But did you know that it is all possible thanks to the use of AI?
When you want to find directions, your phone uses artificial intelligence to plan the best route, and bring you real-time information about traffic and other disruptions. Some navigation apps also use AI to predict where you might be going based on your usual routine, and can even tell you where you parked your car.
6. Facial Recognition
Passcodes are becoming a thing of the past thanks to the invention of facial recognition, which you can use to unlock your smartphone. Facial recognition is also used by apps such as Snapchat to place filters over the face. Those familiar with the app will also know you can even use it to swap over two people’s faces.
7. Spam Filters
You might have never considered how your mailbox decides which emails are junk and which you need to read? Spam filters are yet another job done by artificial intelligence. Many of these filters are now highly effective and can filter out almost 100% of spam emails.
The filters work by recognizing specific words and phrases in a message that are generally associated with spam and junk mail. AI is constantly learning and evolving, so you can expect your inbox to get even cleaner in the future.
8. Video Recommendations
Anyone who has ever watched something on Netflix or YouTube is sure to be familiar with this. Recommendations of what to watch next, are generated by AI based on what you usually enjoy.
Recommendations aren’t just based on genre either – they also include your favorite actors, and you might find different suggestions at different times of day based on what you usually watch at that time.
9. Voice Assistants
Whether you think they are spying on your private conversations or consider them a useful part of your daily routine, voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Home rely heavily on AI. While they are already capable of performing an impressive range of tasks, this technology is expected to keep on growing over coming years.
From adding items to your shopping list to playing your favorite music, or even telling you tonight’s television schedule, AI-powered smart assistants can do some impressive things. Many users have even connected them to their ‘smart home’ system, allowing them to use their voice, and AI, to switch on the lights or control the temperature of their home.
10. Self-Driving Cars
This might not be an everyday experience for us all just yet, but the technology is now available to consumers. Autonomous vehicles may still seem quite futuristic, but they are growing in popularity enormously, with more and more manufacturers getting on board with the technology.
These vehicles use artificial intelligence to respond in real-time, just like a driver would. They can avoid collisions by sensing the environment around them and can even park themselves in both parallel and perpendicular spots. Certain models, including Tesla, can even come and pick you up outside your door, or navigate across the parking lot to fetch you right in front of the store.
These are just ten of the amazing ways artificial intelligence has already made its way into our daily routines. This is an area of technology we can expect will continue to grow and expand in the future, becoming even more integrated into our everyday lives.
