Artificial intelligence is a hot topic. Interest in artificial intelligence, as a topic, has increased significantly recently, as per Google Trends.
There has been a lot of talk about how artificial intelligence will affect our everyday lives. Is artificial intelligence taking over our jobs – will we lose our jobs only to be replaced by robots?
Will artificial intelligence be used to make crucial decisions for us? Will driverless cars and delivery robots be the way of the future?
Despite all the talk about how AI might change the way we live our lives in the future, the truth is that AI is already everywhere and is already impacting our everyday lives. Most of us encounter artificial intelligence dozens or even hundreds of times throughout the day – often without realizing it.
Companies, apps, and devices use artificial intelligence to make decisions for us and improve the quality of our lives. Here are just some examples of how you are already using artificial intelligence in your everyday life.
Best Everyday Artificial Intelligence Examples
1. Face or Fingerprint ID
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How do you unlock your phone? Some of you may use a passcode to unlock your phone – or you may not even have it locked in the first place.
However, many of us are accustomed to quickly and conveniently opening our phones with our fingerprints or face IDs. We simply tap our fingers on the fingerprint scanner or hold the phone in front of our faces, and our phones magically unlock.
How does that work? Artificial intelligence, of course, plays a significant role.
Facial detection is an excellent example of how we use AI every day. How does your phone differentiate between your features and someone else’s, even if they look a bit like you?
Your phone scans your biometric features and ensures it matches the profile it has stored in the system. Even if you shave your beard, put on glasses, get a new hairstyle, or even wear a facial mask over your nose and mouth, the system will be able to identify you using your unique biometric information.
The same goes for your fingerprint. Everyone has a unique fingerprint.
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2. Autocorrect and Auto-Suggestions
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Do you use a smartphone to type? Have you ever noticed that you get suggestions on which words to type next or autocomplete suggestions?
For example, you may type “ho,” and your keyboard might bring up suggestions such as house, hose, or hog. Alternatively, when you type a phrase like “I don’t,” your phone might suggest words to type next, like “want.”
Also, when you misspell a word, your keyboard might automatically correct it or give you a suggested spelling without actually correcting it for you.
Ultimately, it depends on the specific keyboard you are using, the operating system you have, and the settings you set for your keyboard (for example, you can turn off autocorrect).
However, all of these features use artificial intelligence. Your keyboard might be tracking your input, and if you regularly use the word “want” after the phrase “I don’t,” it might start suggesting it to you every time you type “I don’t.”
The same goes for the autocomplete feature. When you type the first few letters in a word, the keyboard might suggest words based on your previous typing history or the context of the sentence – which word makes the most sense in that context.
Even autocorrect uses artificial intelligence. A misspelled word might be one of two words – for example, if you type “house,” you might have meant “house,” or you might have meant “hose.”
Or, you may type “loved,” but in the context of the sentence, a word like “moved” might make more sense, and the keyboard might include that as a suggested alternative.
So, how does the keyboard know which one to choose? Artificial intelligence plays a role.
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3. Google Search
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Similarly, whenever you use Google, you are benefiting from artificial intelligence. Google’s algorithms use advanced machine learning to determine which results to bring up for the keyword or search phrase you just entered.
Google is the most popular search engine in the world. It’s algorithms are extremely powerful at bringing up the most relevant results that people are interested in.
It’s not just the actual search results, though. When you type a word into the search bar on Google, you will see a drop-down list of suggested searches that Google thinks you might be interested in.
It may base these suggestions on what you and/or other people have previously entered into Google.
Similarly, once you do search for a term, you will see a section at the bottom with related keywords Google thinks you might want to search for. There is also a “People Also Ask” section, with questions that people have entered into Google after searching for the term you just entered.
However, the same goes for other search engines, such as Bing or Yahoo. There are differences between search engines, though.
For example, some search engines may track your activity and search history to give you more personalized suggestions. Other search engines do not track you.
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4. Online Ads
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Have you ever seen an online ad for something you recently searched for or saw online? Online advertising networks use artificial intelligence to decide which ads to display to which people.
For example, if you visit a product page, you may see ads for that product. Alternatively, if you expressed an interest in forex trading on Facebook by liking pages that talk about forex trading and interacting with content talking about it, you may see ads for it.
This type of targeted advertising is very effective. Advertisers may also use your demographic information, such as your age, gender, and location, to target ads and show you specific ones you are likely to be interested in.
Seeing ads is an unavoidable part of using the internet. The internet is not free for nothing – website owners, search engines, and social media sites need a way to monetize things, and the product is you, the free user, while the customers are the advertisers paying for ads.
Whether you see ads on Google, social media, or even blogs, artificial intelligence is likely playing a role. It may also use contextual information to match you with ads.
For example, if the content you are reading talks about making money online, you may see ads for programs that teach you how to make money on the internet and become your own boss.
There are ways to avoid this, such as by using ad blockers and disabling tracking. That will help you enjoy a better experience online and avoid being tracked.
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5. Social Media
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When you use social media, even when you don’t see ads, AI is also involved. How do you think Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram decide which accounts to recommend that you follow or which posts you see in the discover feed?
Or, how do you think the social media sites decide which posts to show you? If you follow a lot of people, the algorithms need to figure out which posts you are most likely to be interested in and show you those, instead of clogging your feed with posts from people you aren’t that interested in.
To determine all that, social media platforms may use factors such as:
- Which content and topics you have interacted with in the past
- Which people you engage with the most, either by liking their posts, commenting, or sending them private messages
- Your location
- Content people you follow interacted with (it might suggest a post if several of your friends like it)
6. Navigational Apps
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Have you ever used a navigational app like Waze or Google Maps? Sometimes, there might be several possible routes to the destination you input, so how does the app know which one to choose?
It uses complex algorithms and machine learning, basing its decisions on factors such as estimated traffic, roadblocks, and other information. It may use real-time data from other users who have the navigational app open to determine traffic data.
Then, when you search for a business, such as “bakery,” various results will come up. However, how does the map decide which businesses would be most relevant to you?
Again, it uses complex algorithms like your current location, reviews, and business information.
7. Netflix
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A lot of what we do in our daily lives is decided for us by artificial intelligence, and that even includes the movies and television series we watch on Netflix and other streaming on demand platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
How does Netflix decide which movies to recommend to you? It uses factors such as the movies you previously watched and the genres you enjoy to recommend other movies you are likely to enjoy.
It also uses feedback from users, such as how many people liked a movie, to recommend it to others.
8. Spotify
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Similarly, the music we listen to is decided by artificial intelligence. Spotify and other music streaming platforms, like YouTube Music or Audiomack, use artificial intelligence to choose which tracks to play next when you are listening to music.
It uses data from other users and your prior listening history to recommend additional playlists, mixes, and songs you might be interested in.
Another example: when you create a playlist on Spotify on the free version, Spotify will add songs it thinks would fit into that playlist.
9. YouTube
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YouTube is another great example of artificial intelligence in action, especially when it comes to video recommendations.
YouTube will recommend videos for you to watch based on topics you have shown an interest in. It also takes into account user behavior.
For example, if many people watched video #2 after video #1, YouTube may determine that it’s relevant to you as well and recommend it to you if you watch video #1.
Similarly, the channels and playlists that it recommends for you to subscribe to or watch are recommended based on artificial intelligence and machine learning – its algorithms are always improving.
10. Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant
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Voice assistants like Alexa or Siri use artificial intelligence and voice recognition technology to listen and respond to prompts. They use natural language processing technology to figure out what you are saying, even though your voice and style of speech may differ from others.
These assistants can figure out what you want and help you complete tasks like purchasing items online, checking the weather, and even booking flights.
You can instruct them to play a song or possibly adjust your central heating or air conditioning if you have a smart home and the voice assistant supports it.
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11. Uber and Lyft
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Do you use Uber, Lyft, or another ridesharing app for your daily transportation? Have you ever wondered how the app matches you with drivers or how it determines the price of the ride you are going to take?
Pricing is subject to factors such as demand. When there is more demand, the price tends to go up, but it also depends on factors such as your location and the length of the trip.
Depending on the app, it may even vary based on your payment method, as certain discounts may apply if you use certain payment methods.
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12. Online Shopping
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Artificial intelligence plays a big role in ecommerce as well. Sites like Amazon use machine learning to decide which products to recommend to you based on your previous purchase and search history and user behavior.
For example, if many people tend to buy item #1 and item #2 together, it might recommend item #2 to you after you have added item #1 to your cart. If you were searching for baseballs, it might start to recommend other baseball-related products, such as baseball bats or shirts.
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13. Gmail
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If you use Gmail or another email client, you likely also have exposure to AI every day. Have you ever wondered how Gmail decides which emails to send to the spam folder or which to send to the promotion folder?
It scans the content of the emails and their attachments and uses machine learning to detect language that may indicate it is a promotional email or a spam email.
It may also use behavior from other users – if people mark email from a certain sender or with a certain language as spam, it may start sending all emails from that sender or emails with such language to the spam folder.
Gmail, in particular, also uses artificial intelligence to help you save time. For example, it may give you suggestions on how to complete or continue a sentence based on emails you previously sent or provide you with quick-reply suggestions such as “Got it” or “Yes, I can do that” based on the language in the email you are replying to.
14. Driving
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Self-driving cars are becoming more popular. They use artificial intelligence to mimic a human driver, identify other vehicles and obstacles on the road, decide which speed to go and when to turn, and a lot more!
You really need advanced AI for that, but it’s here – self-driving cars are becoming more of a common sight in some places.
However, you don’t need to have a Tesla to appreciate how AI is helping you drive. Many cars these days come with a blind spot sensor, which will alert you when someone is in your blind spot when you want to turn, so you don’t crash into them.
The blind spot is the area to the side of your vehicle that is not visible in your mirror. We were all taught to turn backward and take a quick glance to ensure there is no vehicle in your blind spot while turning or merging lanes, but many people no longer do that, as they rely on their blind spot detectors instead.
The sensor uses an AI chip that detects the presence of other vehicles in the blind spot. If you rely on your blind spot sensor to help you turn or merge safely, you are essentially relying on artificial intelligence to keep you safe on the road.
You don’t even need such a car to understand how AI affects you while driving. Speed cameras may use AI to monitor traffic and identify offenders and speeding motorists.
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15. Security Surveillance
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I talked about facial recognition earlier in this article, but you don’t need an iPhone with Face ID to have facial recognition in your life. Security surveillance systems often use facial recognition and other forms of artificial intelligence to keep people safe.
Surveillance systems use AI to detect objects, regenerate colors in security footage, and identify events that may indicate a security risk.
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16. Fraud Detection
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Have you ever received an alert about an unauthorized charge on your credit card? Thieves can steal credit card information in various ways.
There are the old methods, such as using a skimmer on an ATM to capture someone’s credit card details and even the PIN they enter. More advanced methods may include hacking into a company’s website and stealing credit card information they store.
Either way, how does your bank know that the transaction is suspicious? After all, the details were entered correctly, and the thieves may even have had your PIN and tried to withdraw cash from an ATM using a cloned card with your credit card digits.
Banking institutions use artificial intelligence to detect irregular spending patterns. The location might be abnormal, or the card might be used for an amount other than what you usually spend or at a website you are unlikely to purchase from.
There is a lot that goes into fraud detection, but you rely on AI to keep you safe in the case of attempted credit card theft.
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Artificial Intelligence – Is It Good for Us?
When you think about it, it’s pretty shocking how much artificial intelligence dictates our lives. Your opinions may be shaped by the videos you view on Youtube, and artificial intelligence decides which ones you see. That may go for your political or religious opinions or your opinions on any topic you are interested in.
Similarly, your views or knowledge about certain subjects may be shaped by the posts you see on social media, again determined by artificial intelligence.
The media you consume and the entertainment you enjoy, from movies to music, are also decided by artificial intelligence.
You rely on AI to help you get through your day, whether you want to open your phone and check an app or are texting a friend and relying on autocorrect to ensure you don’t text them misspelled words that may confuse them or make you look stupid.
Artificial intelligence is still at its very beginnings, though, and it has a long way to go. If it already plays such a large role in our lives, imagine how much it will affect us once it gets more advanced!
There are legitimate fears about artificial intelligence and the role it should play in our lives. For example, can we really rely on self-driving cars to never get into an accident?
Robots can help companies be more productive, but will they cause humans to lose their jobs? How will such a scenario affect the economy?
If people don’t have money to buy goods, will the companies that fired their workers stay in business? Which jobs can’t rely on artificial intelligence, and which can?
What about AI in healthcare? How can it be used to help doctors make better decisions, and can it make a wrong decision that can ruin someone’s health?
Then there is the question of autonomy. What if artificial intelligence evolves and becomes self-conscious?
Such a scenario has been the topic of many horror movies and served as the basis for the famous Black Mirror and other futuristic episodes. However, while we are still far from such a scenario playing out, there is a debate whether AI can truly become sentient – some people believe it can, and none of us really know for sure.
As you can see, AI has both pros and cons. It helps our lives in many ways, but it also has the potential to wreak havoc on the way we are accustomed to living.
Wrapping It Up
Artificial intelligence is everywhere. Even though you may not think about it, you encounter it daily in multiple ways, and you probably rely on it more than you think.
There’s no avoiding artificial intelligence, and that’s even more true the more prevalent it becomes and the greater a role it starts playing in our everyday lives.
