Almost every dinner, lunch or random conversation I have these days ends up circling back to AI somehow.
I am a software engineer so to my friends and family, I’ve become the unofficial spokesperson for the mysteries of artificial intelligence. Here are the questions they often ask me, and my answers.
Starting off strong with 1. “What is AI?”
This one is one of my favorite questions because it’s a great opportunity to break things down to the basics. AI has become something maybe people interact with daily. But there is still much more to it than just typing into chatGPT. I find it’s always good to brush up on the basic definitions of terms before having a full discussion about it — in my experience it can avoid arguments/confusion down the line.
Thanks for reading Technically, A Substack | By Mia! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
AI, or artificial intelligence, is not a new concept or term.
In fact, the word was ‘coined’ at a workshop at Dartmouth college in 1956; and even earlier in the 1930s, the British code-breaker Alan Turing talked about a hypothetical computer capable of ‘thought’. However, until recently the technology behind computing power and processing large amounts of data was not capable of creating “artificial intelligence.” So it wasn’t until just recently things like ChatGPT, MidJourney etc. started really popping up.
Put simply, AI is a branch of computer science that focuses on creating systems capable of performing tasks that normally/historically require human intelligence. This includes things like understanding natural language, recognizing patterns, and making ‘educated’ decisions.
2. Will AI take over the world?
Inquiries about AI world domination or rebellion, are actually concerns about AGI. AGI stands for artificial general intelligence. It is a type of AI that is, theoretically, indistinguishable from the way humans think. AGI is capable of feeling, reasoning and performing tasks independently as a human would. This is the type of AI that would be able to turn the world into something like Asimov’s iRobot. Currently, AGI does NOT exist. And there isn’t really a consensus among tech people about if and when it will ever exist. OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman insists AGI is coming soon, but he believes it won’t be catastrophic as many people fear:
“We can imagine a world in which humanity flourishes to a degree that is probably impossible for any of us to fully visualize yet. We hope to contribute to the world an AGI aligned with such flourishing.”
Now to the practical questions for business owners:
3. “Do I still need to hire software engineers, or can I just use AI?”
This one pops up a lot, especially with the current state of the tech market. AI can generate code, sure, but currently it is nowhere near the level it would need to be for someone without any tech/programming knowledge to use that code in an efficient way. AI tools can write the entirety of scripts for small programs that handle simple tasks. However, the skills involved in managing a large code base are nuanced, and while AI tools can help, they can’t (yet) replicate the experience and skills of a human engineer.
With the current state of AI tools, I would heavily recommend against relying too much on AI.
If you want reliable software that is intuitive and easy to add new features to, I would err on the side of hiring competent engineers rather than trying to replace as many of your programmers as possible with AI. Trying to do that will likely cost you more money in the long run and lots of frustration.
That being said, I would look for software engineers who can competently leverage AI to their advantage. I do not want to downplay the capabilities of AI in development.
Artificial intelligence can be extremely useful and multiply the productivity of one engineer so they can do a job that once would have taken multiple engineers.
4. “How can I use AI in my business?”
To state the obvious, AI is a game-changer for businesses, big and small. From automating customer service with chatbots to analyzing large datasets for market trends, AI can help streamline operations and provide insights that were previously out of reach.
However, NOT EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS AN AI CHATBOT.
I know it can be tempting to try and squeeze AI tools in everywhere you can. But you will be better off, if you think strategically about where AI can actually be useful in your process.
Otherwise you may end up in a situation like Chevrolet, where a customer convinced an AI chatbot to sell them a car for $1:
I have also had friends take advantage of companies’ AI chatbots to do their homework for them:
Using chatbot to write essay | Image provided by author
You should not be paying for an OpenAI powered ChatBot just so teenagers can do their homework from your site.
So what is the best way to utilize AI for your small business?
I always advise going through all of the manual processes you have to do — things that are tedious or expensive and tasks you don’t enjoy. There is usually an AI tool that can automate most of those processes or make it easier in some way. By identifying these tasks, you can implement AI solutions to save time and reduce costs, allowing you to focus on more strategic (and enjoyable!) aspects of your business. Additionally, integrating AI can lead to increased accuracy and efficiency*, ultimately boosting your productivity and competitiveness in the market.
*While AI can greatly enhance your operations, it’s important to be aware that AI tools can sometimes “hallucinate” aka make up inaccurate information. Proper integration and oversight are crucial to ensure the reliability and accuracy of your AI pipeline.
5. “Do I need to use AI in my business?”
This is the flip side of the previous question and comes from those feeling a bit of tech fatigue. My take? It depends. Not every business needs AI, but many can benefit from it. If AI can help solve a problem or make your operations more efficient, then it’s worth considering.
But don’t jump on the bandwagon just because it’s trendy.
The rise of AI is actually increasing the demand (among some people) for traditional handmade, human-run and 100% AI free businesses. If that is your niche — embrace it! However, if you feel like your competition is using AI and starting to gain an advantage over you, it could be time to think about ways to also use AI for that competitive edge.
6. “Is AI dangerous?” also asked as “Is AI going to hack me?”
It depends… AI isn’t inherently malicious. But like any tool, it can be used for both good and bad. Hackers can use AI to enhance their attacks, but cybersecurity experts also use AI to defend against those attacks.
It’s a constant game of cat and mouse, with both sides using the same technology to outsmart each other.
Certainly, AI tools expand the range of tactics available to social engineering hackers. They can use AI to clone voices of people you know and spoof a phone call between you and them. Videos can also be deepfaked to make a video of anyone saying anything you want. With that in mind, it might be good to create a ‘code word’ with your friends and family that you could ask for over the phone to make sure you are talking to your real family member and not being scammed. So if Grandma gets a call from someone who sounds just like Uncle Joe asking her to send $1000 dollars to get him out of a jam she can ask for the ‘code word’ to make sure it is really him.
So there you have it — a snapshot of the questions I commonly get asked about AI. It’s interesting to me to see what parts of AI my friends and relatives from different fields and ages are interested in. While the questions may vary, the core of it always circles back to the same thing: understanding this powerful technology and figuring out how it fits into their daily lives.
— —
About the Author Hello, my name is Mia! If this is your first time reading one of my stories, thank you so much for being here! I am a freelance web and software developer. You can find me on Instagram here, and you can find my digital marketing and web company here.
I write about my journey to tech and share tips and tricks I picked up after working with clients as a freelancer
.
Thanks for reading Technically, A Substack | By Mia! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
