Generative AI:

What is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human
learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy. Applications
and devices equipped with AI can see and identify objects. They can understand and respond to
human language.

Examples and applications of AI

So what are some examples of AI? Well, it can be almost anything. Your smartphone uses AI, as do
services like digital assistants, chatbots, social media websites, and much more. Many home
electronics also use AI, such as robot vacuum cleaners or security systems. And, of course, there are
classic examples of auto-navigation and robotics.

Below, we’ve outlined applications in greater detail so you can understand how AI impacts everyday
life.

Digital assistants

Perhaps the application used by most people would be the digital assistants on our various pieces of
technology. If you have a smartphone or laptop, you probably have and use digital assistant software
to some degree.

Some of the most popular digital assistants include:

 Siri (Apple)
 Alexa (Amazon)
 Cortana (Microsoft)
 Google Assistant (Google)
 Bixby (Samsung)
Search engines

Another common application of AI is search engines. Search engine algorithms utilize AI to refine
and show better results without the intervention of programmers. You can see this in action on
Google if you search a question. You’ll see a section called “People also ask” and if you open one of
those questions, it will spawn two more related questions below.

An even simpler example is Google’s auto-complete answers when you type in the search bar. An AI
algorithm gathers data on what people search most often and uses that to populate predictions you
can use to navigate.

Popular search engines include:

 Google
 Yahoo
 Bing
 DuckDuckGo
Social media

Social media platforms are another common way people interact with AI. All major social media
platforms run off AI-powered algorithms which are designed to serve specific purposes. Most use
algorithms to determine what their users like and serve more of that content, to keep the user
engaged. Many also run AI algorithms to gather and store user data to use for advertising purposes.

You can train your social media algorithms to show the content you like by creating filters, or
searching carefully for what you like, and purposefully interacting (liking, commenting, sharing, etc.)
with things you enjoy.

Popular social media platforms include:

 Facebook (Meta)
 Instagram (Meta)
 YouTube
 TikTok
Online shopping

This is probably one of the least obvious ways people interact with AI in their daily lives. Many online
shopping and ecommerce platforms use AI to streamline their customer experience in a variety of
ways.

As a customer, you may experience AI through:

 Personalized product recommendations based on previous shopping activity or customer

profile.
 Pricing optimization based on supply, demand, or previous shopping activity.
  Chatbots to provide instant responses to customer service or technical issues.
 Shipping and delay estimates.

As a business owner, you may consider implementing AI in the following additional ways:

 Sales and demand forecasting to help you manage your inventory in the face of increased or
decreased demand.
 Creating customer profiles and segmentation to boost sales.
 Smart analytics to show in real-time how your business is performing.
Robots

The word “robot” probably makes many people think of sci-fi movies like Star Wars or shows like
Star Trek with their humanoid, intelligent robots. Though those may seem futuristic or even far-
fetched, in reality, many robots already exist in our world. You may even own some, or something
produced by one.

Robots are used in a myriad of fields to streamline production or keep workers safe. They handle
repetitive tasks or anything deemed too dangerous for a human worker. Some examples of
industrial robots include:

 Aerospace: You may be familiar with the Mars rovers NASA has landed over the years. These
are programmed to explore, gather samples and send transmissions back to Earth to provide
data from Mars that an astronaut would be unable to obtain. Most recently, NASA sent the
rover Perseverance to Mars to gather samples and search for signs of ancient life.
 Manufacturing: The use of robots in assembly lines dates back to 1961, when General
Motors introduced a robot to assist with welding and transporting die casings (jobs deemed
too dangerous for humans). It continues to this day, streamlining production and providing
safer working conditions for humans.
 Hospitality: Particularly in recent years, the hospitality industry has adopted robots to help
complete simple tasks and fill in for worker shortages. These can do things like check-in
guests at hotels, mix drinks at cafes, deliver meals to tables in restaurants, and more.

Transportation and Navigation

You’ve probably heard of self-driving cars, whether in a sci-fi show or in the news from recent
attempts by various companies. But there are more ways that AI is utilized in transportation. Most
major map software uses some kind of AI to interpret real-time traffic data and provide routes and
ETAs. Additionally, many aircraft use an AI-powered autopilot that takes in weather conditions and
flight data to set the course.

In fact, studies show that the application of AI in transportation has made it safer, more efficient,
and more reliable.

Other examples of AI in transportation and navigation include:

  Traffic management systems take in real-time data about the road, weather, and traffic
conditions to predict heavier traffic flows and congestion.
 Direction apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze all use location data collected
from users to determine traffic, ETAs, and more.
 Rideshare apps, much like direction apps, use AI that takes in location and environmental
data to give ETAs, predict road conditions, and set fare rates.
Text editing and autocorrect

Another example of AI in the palm of your hand (if you have a smartphone, anyway) is autocorrect
and other text editing software. This software takes input from generalized dictionaries and common
use but also learns from your specific patterns to pick up the words you use most frequently and
help you spell them.

Other online text editors like Grammarly or Hemingway App take standards of style, length, and
grammar, and compare them to your texts, generating reports on errors and readability stats. Some
of them also analyze other online content in real-time to compare for originality.

Fraud prevention

If you have an account with any major bank, chances are they use AI in their fraud detection and
prevention systems. These work by analyzing thousands of transactions, and recognizing normal
patterns so they can flag suspicious activity. These programs can auto-decline anything suspicious
and flag an investigation, as well as notify the individual for verification.

Predictions

Since AI can process large amounts of data all at once, it’s useful in identifying patterns and using
those to make predictions. Businesses can then use these predictions to make informed decisions or
prevent possible future issues.

Common uses of predictive AI include:

 Maintenance: Tracking previous repairs and general wear and tear on parts in equipment
allows AI to predict when maintenance needs to happen, preventing inconvenient
breakdowns or possible accidents.
 Modeling: Predictive modeling uses data mining and probability forecasting to predict and
estimate future outcomes.
Gaming

Perhaps surprisingly, AI has been in the field of gaming for years. Over the years, many AI systems
were designed to play various games as the developers worked on building software that would
learn. AIs have beaten human champions in Chess, Go, StarCraft 2, and also on the game show
Jeopardy.

Of course, many games also utilize AI in their development to continually increase interest and
incentives for users to keep playing. Some games that use AI include:
  Minecraft: uses AI to generate unending virtual environments and adapt to the player’s
style.
 F.E.A.R: uses enemy AI to allow characters to learn and adapt to the player’s movements in
game.
 The Last of Us: has a dynamic AI for each non-player character allowing them to react
differently to the player character depending on their specific choices.
Healthcare

From robotics in hospitals and clinics to predictive software used to diagnose rare diseases, AI has
many uses in the field of healthcare. Doctors and medical staff work with AI-powered software to
provide better care to patients of all types.

Some uses of AI in healthcare:

 Early diagnosis: AI can analyze patient and disease data to predict the likelihood of a patient
developing a disease and either diagnose it early or help to prevent it entirely.
 Disease tracking: Using predictive analytics, AI can model how a contagious disease could
spread over the course of time or across a specific area.
 Drug discovery: AI models can discover new applications or potentially harmful interactions
between different drugs.
Advertising

Like many of the above examples, AI has numerous applications in the field of advertising. From
offering dynamic ads based on demographics or location to AI that can write the copy itself, AI drives
the field of advertising and marketing forward.

Examples of AI in advertising:

 Ad creation: AI software can be trained to write copy or even make images based on
interaction and purchase data.
 Dynamic presentation: Many ad platforms allow you to create ads that present different
images or text based on customer demographics or location, personalizing the ad
experience.
 Budget optimization: Some ad platforms use AI agents to help determine where an
advertiser’s budget goes, focusing budget spending on the best-performing ad on the most
cost-effective days and times it to the best-performing ad, day, and time.
Analytics

Finally, another common use for AI is in the field of data science and analytics. One of the most
common uses is in predictive analytics, but AI can also be useful in data analysis. Most crucially,
using AI analytics helps companies to scale their analytics and allows them to have accurate data at a
much quicker rate than before.

Some common uses for AI in analytics are:

  Forecasting: Taking in historical data and creating a reasonable forecast of what you can
expect to see in the future.
 Predictive analytics: Predicting trends and future results based on historical data.
 Business monitoring: Real-time analytics on all key data points, from revenue to cost to
customer experience.
Business and AI

While that list of examples may seem extensive, it’s certainly not all-encompassing. There are
hundreds, if not thousands, of other ways AI touches everyday life for consumers.

For businesses, the application possibilities of AI may seem overwhelming. But it’s important to
consider how to adopt AI to grow your business, or risk being left behind as the technology evolves.
One easy way to do so is with AI analytics. Learn more about how Tableau helps our customers
succeed with AI analytics today.

Reference:
https://www.tableau.com/data-insights/ai/examples

Pros and Cons of AI

PROS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial intelligence has the capacity to revolutionize business efficiency, productivity, and accuracy
in the workplace. Here are some of the top advantages of artificial intelligence to consider.

1. AUTOMATE REPETITIVE TASKS

Repetitive process automation is a form of artificial intelligence used to automate repetitive tasks.
This type of AI works well with any tasks that follow specific rules and need to be done the same way
each time.
Using AI to automate repetitive tasks works well in most office environments. Tasks like entering
information into a database, extracting information from documents for data analysis, or moving
files can easily be handled by AI in a fraction of the time it would take humans to perform those
same tasks. By automating these repetitive tasks, businesses can use their existing workforce to
complete more nuanced or creative tasks instead, increasing their overall productivity.

2. REDUCE HUMAN ERROR

Another major advantage of AI is catching — and thereby reducing — human error on certain tasks.
Some tasks require intense concentration, and a single mistake can have far-reaching consequences.
Programmers and developers, for example, may spend hours writing a certain code, and if they’re
missing a single closing bracket, the code won’t do what they intend it to do.
AI can help catch these types of parsing errors much more easily than the human eye and point
them out. By catching errors more quickly, professionals can create and manage their tasks more
efficiently and accurately.

3. PROVIDE 24/7 SUPPORT

Even the most hardworking, dedicated humans will only spend a portion of their days at work.
Humans need to eat, sleep, bathe, and socialize. But one of the pros of artificial intelligence is that it
doesn’t have these same needs. Other than the occasional software update, AI can run nonstop.
This means that AI is uniquely suited for roles that require — or could benefit from — constant
awareness. Consider, for example, an AI-powered chatbot or digital assistant on a website providing
customer support at all times of day or night, or how hospitals might use AI to monitor patient vitals
around the clock. This level of support simply isn’t possible with humans alone.

4. ANALYZE INFORMATION EFFICIENTLY

AI analyzes information much more quickly than the human brain. This makes it perfect for tasks like
data review or data analysis, which require aggregating a large amount of data in a short time.
Marketers, for example, could benefit from AI collecting customer data, examining it, and creating
reports on shopping trends or buyer preferences. Scientists could also benefit from the high
processing speed of artificial intelligence.

5. PERFORM ENTRY-LEVEL TASKS

Certain tasks don’t require a lot of processing power or information to perform. For example, if
you’re not looking for a lot of originality or creativity, it can be good to leave that task up to AI rather
than putting one more task on the shoulders of employees who are already practicing quiet quitting.
Quality business publications shouldn’t be written using AI. But a public school with a limited budget
looking to post on social media a little more regularly might be able to leverage AI to draft occasional
Facebook posts. And while AI isn’t going to create the level of art you’d see hanging in the Louvre, it
can create original images to go with a blog post if your alternative would otherwise be a free stock
photo.

6. MAKE LOGICAL DECISIONS

Human decisions are often clouded by emotions or other biases. An advantage of AI is its ability to
run statistics and make logical decisions quickly. For example, if a CEO is weighing the viability of two
options, AI could provide the odds of each decision succeeding.
Consider, for example, a car manufacturer trying to decide the best shape for a new car model. AI
algorithms can run potentials against information on previous models and provide statistics about a
potential model's safest shape. This type of decision-making, which needs to be grounded in facts
rather than emotions or hypotheses, lends itself well to artificial intelligence.

7. PERFORM DANGEROUS TASKS

Certain tasks are too dangerous for humans to perform, especially at first. In these instances,
artificial intelligence can help professionals do their work without risking human lives.
Consider, for example, visiting a new planet and analyzing the atmosphere. This is a task much better
suited to AI than to human astronauts. AI could also be used for deep-sea exploration, mining, or
excavating. These types of jobs, which have traditionally been extremely dangerous for humans,
become much safer when humans are instead asked to program AI rather than traverse the depths
themselves.

CONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

When misused, artificial intelligence can lead to poor work quality and lack of originality. There are
also major ethical consequences to consider when deciding how best to utilize AI technologies
within your business. Here are some of the disadvantages of artificial intelligence to keep in mind.

1. LOW CREATIVITY
It wouldn’t be accurate to say that AI has no creativity; we have evidence of a computer beating its
competitor in the game Go by creating a new move, after all. But even with low levels of creativity
within reach, the truth is that AI does not have the same creative capacity as humans.
For example, an annual competition will reward anyone who can get a chatbot to have a natural-
sounding conversation with a human for at least 20 minutes. So far, no one has come close. That
natural flow and engagement require a level of creativity that AI has thus far not been able to
achieve.

2. LACK OF COMMON SENSE

One of the biggest cons of AI is that it lacks human emotion and understanding of context. As a
result, it doesn't have what most of us would refer to as “common sense.”
For example, if you asked an AI to generate a playlist of music based on the song “The Wheels on the
Bus,” the AI might give you a playlist of children’s music, or it might generate a playlist of songs
about cars, some of which might not be appropriate for children’s ears. A human trying to process
that same information would understand contextually that the request should generate child-
friendly music.
Similarly, when creating pictures of humans, AI commonly gives misshapen hands and feet with
extra fingers or toes. However, humans know what other humans are supposed to look like and
wouldn’t make these same errors.

3. EXPENSIVE TO CREATE
The costs of developing AI systems can be astronomical for companies hoping for custom AI
solutions. Analysts estimate that training a large language model, for example, would be upwards of
$4 million.
Using pre-existing AI solutions may be more attainable for businesses, but it would be misleading to
indicate that pricing wasn’t one of the major cons of AI.

4. DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Artificial intelligence is just that — artificial. While it can make logic-based decisions, it lacks the
capacity to understand and process complex human emotions. This doesn’t just come out in a lack of
creativity; it also comes out with an inability to make humane decisions based on things like ethics or
compassion.
AI can still be useful, but businesses should carefully consider the types of decisions they entrust to
AI. In general, the use of AI should be limited to black-and-white tasks with clear rules rather than
ambiguous tasks with ethical or moral implications.

5. KNOWN BIASES
Ethical considerations are one of the major reasons people shy away from AI, and one of those
major ethical considerations has come to fruition as researchers uncover that AI is already majorly
biased.
AI systems are built by inputting a large amount of data. For machine learning to work, they hold on
to frequent data and dismiss outliers. This can be exacerbated if the people inputting the data have
some sort of bias, whether conscious or unconscious. These biases can have far-reaching
consequences that businesses never intended.

6. LACK OF MENTAL AGILITY

While AI is faster than humans at some things, it’s not faster at everything. AI has proven itself to be
inflexible in its thinking. For example, a simple computer game that would take a human about 15
minutes to learn would take AI over 900 hours to learn. And if a single rule in the game were
changed, the AI wouldn’t just have to learn that one rule; it would have to relearn the entire game
from scratch.
This type of flexible thinking is what human brains are wired for. It’s what allows humans to adapt
quickly to new situations, make changes to their plans on the fly, and account for new information.
AI cannot tackle nuanced decision-making or on-the-fly strategizing with constantly changing
variables in the same way humans can.

7. MAY LEAD TO HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT RATES

One of the biggest concerns about using AI is that it could begin taking people’s jobs, significantly
impacting the overall job market.
Many experts advise businesses to use AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human workers.
But many companies — especially those that already hire many workers for low wages — may
ignore this advice in favor of potential cost savings. This could have an enormous impact on the
economy as a whole but can also lead to increased errors and biases associated with the products
such companies produce.

Reference:
https://www.revelo.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-ai