AI and how it can benefit you in every role
Like electric cars and meat that’s not really meat, AI (artificial intelligence) has slowly but surely wiggled its way into everyday language and culture.
Even though it has been around in some form for a while, it truly exploded into our collective consciousness in late 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot.
Since then, AI has been all over the news, with alarming headlines such as ‘AI Could Cause Human ‘Extinction’, Tech Leaders Warn’ and ‘HR Leaders Are Worried About Losing Their Jobs to AI’ making waves across the world.
No wonder 65% of Kiwis said they were concerned about future job market security and market stability in our Kiwi Concerns Report.
But life’s busy, AI is hard to define, and sometimes it’s all just a bit too much to take in. So, we’ve created a quick guide on what AI really is, what it can do, and how it might benefit you in just about any role of your career.
What is AI?
AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It refers to any kind of technology that works to replicate human intelligence with the ability to think and learn on its own.
Some experts will categorise AI into three types: weak (also known as narrow AI), strong, and super.
- Weak AI: Performs one task (most AI as we know it, such as self-driving vehicles or facial recognition)
- Strong AI: Replicates human intelligence and gives machines that same level of cognitive abilities as we have (this one is still in the works)
- Super AI: Surpasses human intelligence (this is still just a concept for now)
What is AI capable of?
It’s likely you’ve already encountered many of the more common uses of AI.
For example, when you type in your destination to Google Maps, it uses AI to help you get there – taking into account current road and traffic conditions. The red squiggly lines in Microsoft Word that tell you when you’ve made a typo is AI, as is Siri or Alexa if you use either of them with your Apple or Android devices.
But there are also exciting new AI capabilities that have, until recently, sounded like something out of a sci-fi novel.
For example, ChatGPT writing your cover letters and maid of honour speeches is just the start. Researchers are currently working on an AI machine that can smell human breath to detect for diseases. Financial services are using it to detect fraud, and doctors are using it to help diagnose cancer.
Right now, AI is capable of just about any task we can set it to, which is why so many industries are incorporating it into their systems.
How AI can benefit various professions
Back in 2017, just 20% of global survey respondents said they were already using AI. Just five years (and a global pandemic) later that figure had jumped to 50%.
Some of the most common uses in that survey were for optimising service operations, analysing customer service, automating contact centres, and acquiring new customers.
Here are some of the ways AI is already benefiting various industries.
Medicine
AI in the medical field is probably one of the most exciting developments in recent times, thanks to its ability to improve health outcomes.
Research shows that AI is being used for diagnoses, for new drug discoveries and development, for improving communications between patients and physicians, for transcribing medical documents, and so much more.
This is one area where AI really could help everyday Kiwis. The majority of us, 69%, said that timely access to quality healthcare is a concern (it was actually the largest healthcare worry in our Kiwi Concerns Report). If doctors and nurses can get a leg-up with AI, we may all benefit from a smarter, more streamlined system.
Marketing
Those in marketing can be grateful for AI for its ability to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to a variety of tasks.
In this field, AI can do everything from recommend products that a consumer might like based on their existing preferences (just think of how Netflix suggests similar shows to ones that you’ve watched), to drafting social media content and blog posts (we swear this one wasn’t written with ChatGPT) or analysing customer habits.
Legal
AI has made waves in the legal world by assisting with the tedious task of discovery. Known as e-discovery, AI can sift through megabytes of data for pertinent information. It is also helping with due diligence, creating contracts, litigation analysis, and more.
In short, it’s taking the expensive, time-consuming work usually done by humans and speeding up these processes to lighten the load for lawyers – and hopefully lower the costs for clients.
Real estate
Have you ever looked at a property for sale or rent and noticed a note in the corner of the pictures that says it has been artificially staged? That’s just one of the ways that AI is benefiting the real estate industry.
It’s also being used to predict property values and property market trends, help with automating property management tasks, and provide investment analysis.
Agriculture
Even agriculture – an industry of hands-on work – benefits from AI.
Now, there’s AI to do the weeding. AI to detect plant disease, monitor the health of the soil, manage irrigation, and predict the need for pesticides.
Fingers crossed we can get AI to sort out the weeds and figure out how much water the zucchinis really need in our own home gardens.
How can you benefit from AI?
Much of the fear around AI has come from the idea that AI is set to swoop in and take over our jobs. But in reality, it seems that AI is set to become a benefit to our jobs.
Whether you work in marketing or the legal profession, agriculture or medicine, AI should be able to help with the tasks that often take a lot of time or manpower. Ideally, this should free you up to do more in less time, or even do a better job.
Moving forward, it’s going to become increasingly important not to ignore AI but learn about it and embrace it. Learn its uses in your field and learn how to put AI to work to streamline your tasks. See if you can find out how your workplace is using AI and stay up to date on the latest developments.
In short, AI may well be able to benefit just about every role. The trick is to find out how, then use it as a tool to suit your needs. Likewise, OneChoice Life Insurance could be a beneficial tool to protect your family financially should something happen to you.
25 Oct 2023