AI in the Workplace

You may have heard on the news or radio that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is coming for your job. An army of terminators destined to replace us all, bringing on the end of all careers, and ruining civilization as we know it! A terrifying notion, but a false assumption on the part of uninformed individuals. Most people don’t really understand what AI is or realize that it is just a tool to help improve your work efficiency, not replace you! AI can do much of the repetitive work that slows us down in the workplace and is becoming increasingly available over time.

So, you may still be wondering: what is AI? Put simply, AI is a form of automated software that uses algorithms (basically equations) to analyze data and generate some form of a response based on calculated values. The most interesting part of modern advances in the field have been AI that can “learn”. Don’t panic! When experts and developers use the term learn, they are referring to the AI noticing patterns and refining its calculations. For example, when you’re watching shows on your favorite streaming service, AI “learns” what kind of shows you are into and will try to offer better fits in your recommendations section. Another example is the auto correct on your phone. You may have noticed that it gets better at predicting what you want to say the longer you use it. In this case the phone’s system analyzes your speech patterns and refines your use of language.

Ah, but I’m sure you’re thinking “so how does this help me?” AI can be used in many ways. For example, if you’re a teacher you can use chatbots such as ChatGPT or BARD to create lesson plans. They won’t be perfect, but you can adjust and alter what the AI generates and save hours of work. The trick with chatbots is to be specific with what you want, but expect to have to refine the product, especially for more esoteric needs. They can create almost anything using the written language. Ask a chatbot to create a poem about tap dancing pandas in the Shakespearean style and you may find yourself gasping and wondering if the storied playwright may have written it himself.

AI is often used to make images and short videos as well. This is helpful for the creation of unique images that would otherwise be impossible (or expensively ordered from a professional graphic artist). Apps such as DALL.E or Canva have these abilities. While DALL.E requires a subscription, Canva offers it for free! Consider this: Frogs dancing in a Broadway musical! Type it into an AI image engine and prepare yourself to bare witness to frog awesomeness. It’s far from perfect, but it can create some very useful videos or images.

Here at PIC, some of our very own clerical staff have begun using paraphrasing AI to help them take notes from meetings. There are countless apps available that offer services ranging from audio output clean up, to daily planners. The applications are seemingly endless and AI has proven itself to be a useful tool. If you do decide to explore the growing world of AI, remember that AI makes mistakes. Often enough that experts have coined a unique term for when it happens: Hallucinations. Always check the bot’s work and be sure to have realistic expectations of what it can do! Remember, it’s not actually self-aware. If you edit an AI’s work, it probably won’t take it personally.