AI Is Already Here. Have You Noticed?

By Les Newbigging

Artificial Intelligence (AI) might seem like a recent invention, but the truth is that most of us have been using it for years without really thinking about it.

When your phone predicts the next word as you type a message, that’s AI. When Amazon suggests products you might like to buy, that’s AI. When Spotify recommends music based on your listening habits, that’s AI too.

For decades, AI has quietly worked behind the scenes, analysing information and making predictions. So if it’s been around for so long, why has everyone suddenly started talking about it?

The answer is Generative AI.

Unlike earlier forms of AI, which mainly analysed data and spotted patterns, Generative AI can create new content. It can write articles, generate images, compose music and even create videos from a simple instruction.

That’s what makes it both impressive and unsettling.

You’ve probably seen headlines about AI-generated “deepfake” videos that appear to show public figures saying things they never said. Schools and universities are debating its use in coursework. Artists, writers and musicians have raised concerns about how their work may be used to train AI systems. Governments and businesses are also discovering that AI can sometimes produce inaccurate information with surprising confidence.

These concerns are real, and deserve careful consideration.

But like any powerful technology, AI itself is neither good nor bad. The impact depends on how people choose to use it.

Gunpowder provides an interesting example. It was invented centuries ago and used to create fireworks. Over time it found beneficial uses in construction, mining and engineering. Unfortunately, it was also adapted for warfare. The technology itself wasn’t good or evil; people determined how it would be used.

AI is much the same.

In my own life, I’ve used AI to help plan a road trip around Scotland, suggesting routes and attractions based on places I wanted to visit. In my business, I use it to help organise ideas, research topics and overcome the occasional bout of writer’s block. It doesn’t replace human judgement, but it can save time and provide a useful starting point.

The reality is that AI is already here and chances are you’re using it more often than you realise. The question isn’t whether we can avoid it. The question is how we choose to use it.

Whether AI ultimately becomes a positive force or a negative one won’t be decided by computers. It will be decided by us.

For transparency, this article was written with the assistance of AI. I used it to help organise my thoughts and put them into a logical order, but the views and final wording are my own.