Everyday Applications You Didn’t Know Were AI-Powered.
Since the latter part of 2022, there's been a palpable buzz about AI, as if it's a novel innovation that's taken the world by storm. However, those in the know will attest to a different reality. While the recent advancements in AI have been remarkable, its presence in our lives is far from new. If we take a step back and reflect, it becomes clear that many of us have interacted with AI in our daily routines for years, perhaps without even recognizing it. In the following sections, I will explore how AI has been integrated into our daily lives for over a decade, underscoring its silent yet significant influence.
The Virtual Personal Assistant
Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Beyond
I have a confession to make. Over the past several years, I have traveled more than I have for most of my life. But still, I find myself waking up and asking Alexa to tell me what time it is or to give me the weather for the day. It has become such a part of my life that I forget I don’t travel with an Alexa device. But I seldom think of her as being powered by AI. But she is. These virtual assistants, powered by intricate AI algorithms, don't just follow commands. They continually adapt, refining their responses based on your patterns and habits. They're evolving ecosystems, tailored uniquely to you, streamlining tasks and making home automation a breeze.
Social Media Algorithms
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & More
As the owner of a digital marketing agency, I interact with social media platforms every day. I have had the opportunity to watch the gradual change in these platforms. Beyond connecting you with friends or getting your message out to your target audience, social media platforms employ advanced AI to curate your feed and the feed of those you hope will buy your product or service. By assessing your interactions, likes, shares, and even the duration you gaze at a post, these platforms anticipate the content you'll enjoy, crafting a personalized digital experience that's almost uncannily accurate.
Navigating the Email Jungle
Gmail's Advanced Features & Others
One of my favorite pieces of AI is Google’s email. If your primary inbox remains relatively spam-free, offer gratitude to AI. Beyond mere keyword-based filtering, contemporary email platforms, like Gmail, utilize machine learning to recognize patterns, sorting emails with impressive precision and even preemptively categorizing newsletters, promotions, and primary conversations. I get upwards of 300 emails every single day. Without this piece of AI, I would spend my days managing my emails instead of building my business.
E-commerce Personalization
Amazon, Netflix & E-shops Galore
I have to be honest, Jones Road Beauty has my number. Every day, I am served up a new beauty product that I have to have. The uncanny accuracy of product or show recommendations isn't luck. AI processes vast amounts of data, from your browsing history to your purchase or watch patterns, forecasting what you might be inclined to buy or binge-watch next. This predictive analysis enhances user experience and boosts business conversion rates. It certainly helps Jones Road’s bottom line, and if you are using Shopify for your small business, it is probably helping yours.
Conversational Convenience
Smartphone Predictions & Auto-responses
As a business owner, every second I can save counts. The smartphone predictions and auto-responses in Gmail, Amazon, and even Facebook return precious minutes to every day. The rapidity with which you can send a coherent text owes a lot to AI. Those handy word predictions or contextually accurate auto-responses learn from your linguistic patterns, offering suggestions that often align uncannily with your intent, speeding up communication and reducing pesky typos. And I don't know whether you have noticed or not; they are getting better and better every day.
Digital Billboards
Google Ads, Facebook Ads & The Web
As a small business owner, this one is nearest and dearest to my heart. It's not sheer luck when an online advertisement resonates with your current interests. Sophisticated AI algorithms analyze your digital footprint, from search queries to site visits, curating advertisements that align with your interests, elevating the chance of you clicking through. This small piece of AI means that if I create optimized content for my website, my customers will be served my content more often than ever before.
Your Health's Silent Guardian
Fitbit, Smart Watches & Wellness Apps
For 25 years, I was a marathoner and triathlete. I exercised most days, and I felt like I had a grip on my health. In 2016, I injured my back and spent almost six years not being able to exercise. Coming back from that injury would have been so much harder without AI. Seriously. Nike Run Club made it simple to step back into the sport I have loved for so long.
Beyond the basic step count, modern health devices are nothing short of personal wellness coaches. By analyzing heart rates, sleep patterns, and more, they can suggest fitness routines, monitor potential health anomalies, and even proactively alert users about needed lifestyle changes. The Nike Run Club app adds another layer as well. With a virtual coach in my ear, I was not only able to measure my progress, but I was able to make smarter decisions as I made my comeback.
It's easy to overlook AI's influence in our daily lives. But if you take a minute to analyze your days, you will realize its impact isn't just recent or fleeting. For over a decade, I've seen AI evolve from a budding concept to a silent ally, seamlessly enhancing and simplifying countless facets of our everyday experiences. As I reflect on our shared history with this transformative technology, I'm both captivated and comforted by the thought of how intrinsically AI has been woven into many areas of our lives.
Delve Deeper into the AI Labyrinth with an Expert!
Interested in how AI can help your business but not sure where to start? Need someone to break it down in an easy and engaging way? Invite me to speak at your next event. I'll show you how AI can make a difference in the business world, and your audience will leave informed and inspired.