It is more than likely that you have heard the term “AI”, but do you know what it actually means? Artificial intelligence has become part of our daily lives, from the workplace to everyday tasks. Like any technology, AI can be used for good, but it also comes with risks. This blog will dive into the basics of AI and what you should know.
Why It Matters
AI-powered tools are showing up across industries, from marketing and human resources to healthcare and customer service. You don’t need to become an expert, but having a basic understanding of AI helps organizations make informed decisions, evaluate new tools, and prepare for future advancements.
What AI is
AI is a branch of computer science focused on building systems that perform tasks or make decisions that typically require human intelligence. Think of it as the umbrella term that includes more specific technologies and tools underneath it. Many AI systems are trained using large amounts of data to identify patterns and automate responses. AI can be used to solve problems, support decision-making, and understand language.
What AI is Not
It can be easy to assume that AI is always accurate, or that it thinks the way we do. That concept is known as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). AGI is the idea that AI can think, learn, and act like a human in any situation. While researchers continue to study AGI, it currently does not exist.
Today’s AI systems are designed for specific tasks. At the end of the day, AI does not have consciousness or human emotions. That is why it is important to understand that it can produce incorrect or misleading answers.
How Organizations Are Using AI
Many organizations use AI in their day-to-day work. Common uses include:
- Drafting emails
- Analyzing data
- Assisting with customer service
- Creating content
- Summarizing meetings
- Generating reports
There are also risks that go along with using AI for day-to-day work. Overreliance on AI can lead to generic, repetitive, and emotionless content. AI cannot convey emotion or understand it in a way that truly connects with readers. And more than likely, your audience can tell.
While it can save time and be a helpful tool, human judgment always remains important for final decisions and output.
Other Terms to Know
- Narrow AI: The type of AI you use every day. It refers to systems designed to perform specific tasks. Some of the ways you use it daily include Siri, Netflix recommendations, Google Maps, or customer service chatbots.
- Generative AI: A popular growing form of AI that generates text, images, videos, or audio. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and AI image generators fall under this category. It is powerful, but comes with real-life risks – fake images, privacy issues, bias, and fraud.
- Machine Learning: A way to train software to make decisions from patterns in data. Machine learning requires more human intervention, and works well with structured datasets.
- Deep Learning: An advanced form of machine learning driven by a network of connected layers called neural networks. It extracts and learns complex patterns from massive amounts of unstructured data like audio, images, and text.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): A branch of AI that allows computers to analyze and respond to human text or speech.
- Large Language Model (LLM): An advanced model trained to understand and write human-like text. It relies on a process of predicting the next word in a sequence. LLM is a complex engine behind tools like ChatGPT.
- Hallucinations: When an AI system generates information that sounds right but is actually false or fabricated. Always verify information before relying on AI-generated content.
What’s Next
AI is continuing to evolve and so is its role in the workplace. Staying informed will be essential for your organization. Follow along with us this month as we dive into more AI content here on our blog or social media!
