7 Dumb Reasons People Aren’t Using AI
Everyone’s using artificial intelligence now. From your little cousin using Midjourney to make dramatic anime-esque scenes, to your mom using it to simplify recipes, AI isn’t a pipedream anymore. Given the countless free, approachable, and resource-friendly tools out there, there’s really no reason why someone who could benefit from AI shouldn’t be using it — including businesses seeking to turn a profit. Given how easy it is to use AI, here are a few dumb reasons and excuses why people aren’t using artificial intelligence, and some easy solutions to fix that.
“I still don’t know what AI is”
If you’re like my parents and think I work at ChatGPT, then you may have to learn a little bit more about AI. Funny enough, you can use AI to explain AI. When I asked Bard to explain AI to me like I’m 5 (as we may have to do with our less tech-savvy friends, family, and coworkers), it said:
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is like a really smart machine that can do things that humans can do, like understanding language, learning, and making decisions.”
That’s not too bad. I often find myself saying something similar, but adding examples that people can easily relate to, like recommendation engines on Amazon, chatbots, and so on. Really, AI isn’t this grandiose robot that’s here to take over the world; AI is just a tool to help us automate, discover, and understand the data that’s already around us. And now that you understand what AI is, it’s all about using it, leading to the next point.
“No one knows how to use AI here”
Okay yeah, there’s a lot of depth that goes into AI, but most of that depth involves building AI, rather than using it. Not everyone needs to know how to use machine learning to build an automation feature for your analytics dashboard, but it’s easy to learn how to use it.
AI can be as simple as asking ChatGPT or Bard questions for brainstorming, article outline generation, or research, or even using Midjourney and other apps to create images. Most AI-based programs have plenty of good tutorials that explain how to use the automation side of things as well. If you can learn how to use Google Drive and Photoshop, then you can learn how to use the most readily-available AI tools as well.
Even if you yourself aren’t the one using AI, then I’m sure one of your resident IT coworkers can definitely figure it out. You don’t need a machine learning engineer to use AI, as you just need someone internet and tech-savvy to be able to use and master it. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, you can then explore prompt engineering and really fine-tune how you use AI.
“Artificial intelligence costs too much to use”
Ah yes, another lame excuse that I’ve heard people use. This one simply isn’t true for a lot of the options out there, such as the aforementioned ChatGPT and Bard. While there are a lot of great options out there for more advanced applications of artificial intelligence, there are plenty of free tools out there to use to get started with automation. If you find yourself interested in some of the basic tools out there for free, then you can check out an AI Expo & Demo Hall to explore what’s out there that can take your organization to the next level.
“It’s not right for my industry”
My dude, everyone can benefit from AI. Some of the biggest use cases of AI aren’t even in tech or science. In manufacturing, AI is used on the supply chain to handle sorting, optimization, and even packaging. GE’s Predix platform uses AI for predictive maintenance in power plants, anticipating equipment failures and preventing costly breakdowns. If your organization can benefit from automation, optimization, and improved insights, then AI is definitely for you.
“It’ll just take away jobs and make us obsolete”
Okay, this is a fair argument. Even as a writer, I’m mildly concerned that ChatGPT might eventually grow a personality and do better than me (thankfully, its writing is fairly dry…so far). But realistically, just as with any technological advancement over the past 50 years, AI is just a tool that we can use to improve our existing jobs, not get replaced by it. Computers didn’t replace secretaries, as secretaries just used computers to help with scheduling better. The internet didn’t remove the need for books, it just meant that authors had a tool to research their topics better.
“My computer can’t handle it”
Good news everyone! Most readily-available AI tools are browser-based or aren’t resource-intensive, so if your device can handle Chrome, then you can handle AI. If you need a funky soundtrack for that promo video you’re working on, you can use Soundraw to make custom music right in your browser. Need images? You’ve got Midjourney which you can make custom images in Discord. There’s plenty out there and with more to come.
“Okay, but the privacy concerns…”
For my last point, yeah, privacy is a valid concern. There are two main schools behind this concern: What data was used to train AI, and what’s being done with the output. Realistically, your data is more than likely safe as long as you don’t fall to scams like princes abroad asking for your email list. This is a concern that’s predated AI and is something we all went through when the internet first became a mainstay. As long as you use reputable sources for AI (and the good ones will be open-source + will mention where their data comes from), and put up your own anti-scraping copyright info, then you’re fine.
Convinced yet?
If you’re still not convinced, then you might just be a chronic excuse-finder. AI is here, everyone’s using it, and it’s proven to make everyone’s lives easier. Businesses are finding countless ways to benefit from it, from increased revenue to decreased employee turnover & burnout.
To get started with AI, check out ODSC West 2023 this October 30th to November 2nd. Specifically from that Tuesday to Wednesday, the Ai X Business and Innovation Summit will be the go-to place to find AI solutions, learn how other organizations are using and benefiting from AI, and what the future holds for using AI in the workplace. All ticket types are currently 60% off, so don’t delay!
Originally posted on OpenDataScience.com
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