Decoding AI for the Family
If you work in tech or are a tech enthusiast, family gatherings often come with a side of tech support requests – “How do I silence my phone? How do I pull up this video? What’s a QR code?” At a recent family gathering, my parents, aunts and uncles turned to me with a new question: “What is AI and do I need it?” I can’t be the only one trying to simplify AI for family, so here’s how you might answer.
Relate AI to Something They Love or Might Use
The techie in me wants to dive into the data and patterns – but Grandma and Uncle Joe might find that boring or not very useful. So, start with something they love or need. Like healthcare or fishing or recipes.
In a recent trip to the MIT Media Lab, our team was struck by the number of developing applications focused on healthcare and keeping seniors in their homes – living independently – longer. Two demonstrations we saw recorded conversations and actions to help seniors find missing items like keys, tell them if they’d already taken medications or helped them remember facts and names. (Maybe, not just for seniors, right? Very relatable for everyone.)
What is AI?
Let’s back up and talk about the basics: AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is like having a super-smart nephew or assistant that can help you at any time. If fishing is your hobby, AI is like your favorite fishing guide who not only tells you the best spots to fish but also predicts the weather and might suggest the best flies or bait to use based on water temperature and season.
If baking is your jam, AI can learn and make decisions. It can suggest new dishes based on what you like to cook. It can learn your cooking style and help improve your recipes (maybe suggest that to Grandma with caution).
How Does AI Know So Much and How Does it Work?
Think of AI as a curious student. It learns from vast amounts of data and it studies patterns. For instance: if you kept a detailed journal of every fishing trip you ever took, noting the weather, the flies/bait used and the fish you caught, over time, you’d start to see patterns. Maybe you realize certain fish bite more on cloudy days and plan your trips accordingly. AI does something similar but on a much larger scale.
AI learns from examples, just like you learned recipes from watching Grandma bake cookies. AI uses recipes and notes (data) to understand patterns and make predictions. For example: if you always add cinnamon to your sugar cookies, AI will remember that and include it on your shopping list and in new recipes, or AI might remember which cookie always disappears first.
In a nutshell, AI analyzes tons of information to find patterns and make smart suggestions tailored to your needs.
But Do You Need It?
“Need?” Maybe. Maybe not. But with all great technology, it becomes invisible over time. In fact, you’re probably already benefiting from AI in ways you don’t realize. When you get in your car and your GPS asks if you’re headed home and suggests a route? That’s AI. When you ask your personal assistant, like Siri, Echo, Alexa or others, for a substitution for nutmeg and it replies, “allspice,” that’s AI. Or you ask it to play your favorite song? That’s AI.
The important thing to remember and share with Grandma is that technology is here to serve you. If it helps with delivering presents faster or finding substitutes for nutmeg when it’s sold out, keep it in your life. If not? Ignore it—it’s your choice!
Is AI Safe?
Just like any powerful tool, AI needs to be used responsibly. Think of it as a sharp kitchen or fishing knife – incredibly useful, but you must handle it with care. Be vigilant about the types of financial or private information you’re sharing. And just like they taught us as kids, nothing worth having is for free. There’s always a cost for tech. So, if they say an app is free, how are they making money from the information you share?
Who provides your AI matters. There is a huge difference between a medical app provided by a random startup and a medical app provided by your doctor, who must comply with HIPAA or GDPR standards for instance. Ask your trusted friends, family and neighbors what apps they use and how they use them. Feel free to go slow and maybe put your finger in the pie before diving into a full slice.
What Will AI Do To Your Job?
When asking about AI, your family mainly wants to know your job is safe. Grandma will be relieved to know that AI is predicted to create more jobs than replace them. But we all need to understand how to use AI to be successful in the future. AI is a tool, like a depth-finder in fishing or a mixer in cooking. It makes your job easier and takes care of the mundane tasks so you can be more creative and focus on what you love most.
Be Curious
My best advice to family about AI or any technology is “don’t be stubborn.” Technology, and especially AI, can improve your life in so many ways. Remember, whatever you don’t like about a technology either kills it or gets solved – it’s always evolving, so stay curious. And remember to fact-check the answers AI gives you. The first answer isn’t always the perfect one. Continue to ask it questions. It’s a conversation. Just like you continue to improve recipes or try different flies for that really big fish, be patient, keep trying and have fun with it.
