I see all the posts about the terrible google AI results, AI generated images of people with 5 legs, a spam email that was the most robotic, and even when I first tried it, it suggested a recipe with beef in it even though I specified vegetarian.
But, pointing and laughing at how terrible it was and thinking about how useless it will be for me wasn’t my take-away, and I am hoping it isn’t yours either. Yes, it is new and making errors. Yes, some promises are overhyped. But, I can confidently say I am excited about AIs functions right now as it supports me daily, saving me several hours a week and improving my work. I can also confidently say that we have helped others enjoy the same benefits. Here is why:
It’s good, getting better:
Today, AI saved me 2 hours. It taught me a new topic, created two pictures for my website, developed a cover letter, and rewrote at least three sentences for me. It also cost me about 1 hour today. I tried two different tools to generate those images. I downloaded a desktop app and explored its features (verbally talking back and forth with it). It is helpful today. It will be more helpful tomorrow. It may get answers wrong but that doesn’t mean I should stop trying. And starting today sets me up for success tomorrow. I need to be trained as much as the tools need to continue to develop, as with many new technologies.
It’s good at linear, single, step-wise tasks.
It is very good at summarizing a paper, at generating an excel formula, and at rewriting my poorly written blog post. It excels at direct tasks with clear guidance. It lacks context or, rather, I am crummy at providing enough context for a good output. The ‘state of AI” today makes it a great assistant, working with it at each step. It can’t sit down at 8 am and wrap up my to-do list or deliver a perfect result for me. But, again, knowing what it is good at now allows me to benefit from it today.