Live A Better, More Productive Life

AI is here to stay. Here’s how to use it.

Writing by Ava Elghanayan

Artwork by Justin Negard

Picture this: it’s a Saturday night after a hectic week. You want to grab dinner with friends to unwind, but you need to find a place that works for both your gluten-free neighbor and your vegan co-worker. Plus, you want to sit outside, and everyone would prefer to drive no more than 30 minutes each way.

Finding a restaurant to fit these needs could be a time-consuming activity requiring lots of Google searches, calling different restaurants and reading online menus. Or, you could use an AI language model like ChatGPT or Perplexity to generate options within seconds. 

And that’s only one of many things they can do. Want to plan a vacation itinerary to Italy, stopping in Rome, Venice and the Amalfi Coast, with activities your 60-year-old mother and four-year-old daughter will enjoy? They’re on it in seconds. Or, do you need help understanding a complicated subject or brainstorming ideas for a school assignment? AI language models have got you covered there as well. 

You’re probably already using AI

Right about now, you’re probably thinking, “This actually sounds pretty amazing. But I’m not sure if I want to manage another subscription or learn a new technology.” The reality is that AI is probably already a part of your daily life, and Trevor Sumner, head of AI and data platform products at Raydiant, believes that AI will become even more integrated into our daily routines, whether we want it to or not. 

“All the software you use, including everything on your phone, uses AI in one form or another; either it does now or it will in the near future,” he explains. “I think of AI like electricity. It was really novel to talk about at first, but now electricity is in everything, and it’s mundane to even mention it.”

What AI language models can do

As mentioned previously, AI language models can find that perfect restaurant, plan your dream vacation and so much more. And there’s nothing to be afraid of. 

“I think people are a little spooked by the concept,” says Robert Kissner, the program manager and small business advisor at Iona College’s GaelVentures and an adjunct professor who teaches entrepreneurship and AI classes to Iona College students and adults at the Bronxville Adult School. “But after I’m done teaching a session, people say, ‘This is awesome. I have to get home and play with this more!’” 

Kissner says the best way to figure out how you can benefit from AI language models is to make a list of the ten most annoying things you do every day or every week and “offload them to AI.” Examples include drafting emails and work proposals, generating recipes with ingredients you have on hand, or helping you find the best brands based on multiple reviews and comparisons. 

You can even use AI to visualize furniture in your room before you purchase it or to get a good idea of what your rash might be by uploading a photo. Both Sumner and Kissner suggest playing around with various AI tools by asking them different questions to learn everything they are capable of and which one you like best. 

How to use AI

ChatGPT, Perplexity, You.com and similar AI language models have an intelligent understanding of language. To effectively create a prompt (ask a question), use as many details and provide as much context as you can. This will help you get the most accurate and helpful answer. 

For example, if you are looking to buy a new sofa, include the color and size you are looking for, the price range and any other helpful details.

If you want a concept explained, ask the language model of your choice to use simple and concise language or to explain it to an elementary schooler. Plus, you can ask as many follow-up questions as you need because, unlike humans, AI language models don’t get annoyed or fatigued. 

“AI is better than a Google search because you’ll get a more elaborate answer, and you can re-prompt as many times as you need,” Kissner explains. 

It’s also more conversational compared to search engines, which are just question and answers. And instead of searching through multiple websites or articles with information on that topic, AI language models give you a detailed answer catered to your specific question.  

This is why, says Sumner, AI language models are “more of an answer engine than a search engine.” 

AI in (and out of) the classroom

Beyond assisting with everyday tasks and explaining concepts, AI can be helpful in academic settings. Students can use AI language models to summarize readings or YouTube videos, help brainstorm for essay assignments or refine an outline. AI language models can also provide students with information on topics, create study guides from course materials, explain concepts and even help create an effective study schedule. 

Once students get the hang of it, Kissner says AI can be very engaging. 

“It can take on the role of a historical figure and have students interview that person,” he explains. “They can tell it, ‘You’re going to be Abraham Lincoln, and I’m going to ask you questions about X, Y and Z.’ And they can literally have a conversation with a historical figure.”

But, Kissner warns, proceed with caution.

“You can’t take what AI tells you at face value, especially if you’re learning about something you’re not familiar with,” Kissner advises. “You can’t accept it as truth because it might be making up facts. It’s up to you as the user to cross-check what you learn.”

And just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Right now, every teacher, school, school district and/or higher learning institution has their own rules on when and how to use AI, and at any school, asking AI to write an essay or complete an assignment for you is likely breaking the rules. 

As a college professor, Kissner says he hopes all teachers are “really clear and have an open dialogue about expectations, not only at the course level but at the assignment level.” And if you, the student, aren’t sure, then ask. AI isn’t helpful if you get in trouble for using it. 

And if you’ve been conditioned to feel uncomfortable using AI because you associate it with cheating, you’re not alone. However, when you’re ready and your teacher gives you the green light, try using it to help guide you, not to do the work for you. Kissner and Sumner both say that, right now, Claude.ai is the best choice for students, but the technology is rapidly changing and evolving, so always be open to trying others. 

Revolutionizing the workplace

AI can also be extremely helpful in the workplace, assisting with everything from automating mundane tasks to underwriting, and it’s being used more frequently across a variety of industries. One of the more common uses is as a virtual assistant, especially when it comes to handling routine digital tasks the employee already knows how to do, like gathering research, drafting content or creating the foundation for a presentation. This frees up time for employees to focus on more nuanced work. 

And while AI has analyzed resumes for years, it can also help job seekers. There are tools that can help them find jobs that match their skills and experience, and there are also tools that can assist with drafting a cover letter and resume. Kissner says he recently had his students use one of the large language models to prepare for interviews.  

“They pasted their entire resume and job posting into the AI and asked it to interview them for the job,” he explains. “They used the voice-to-text feature so they could hear the questions aloud and speak their answers like they would during a real interview. Then, they asked the AI to rank how they did.”

So, of course, with all the amazing things AI can do, currently, 49 percent of people fear AI will “steal” their job, according to a 2023 survey.

“I often tell people that AI will not replace their job,” says Sumner. “But the person who uses AI will replace their job.”

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to learn. The future is here.

 “With AI,” says Sumner, “we’ll have better lives, be able to consume more and be more productive as humans.”

The Experts’ Top AI Recommendations

Claude.ai  (AI answer engine)

Microsoft Copilot  (AI assistant)

Midjourney.com (AI image generator)

Perplexity.ai (AI answer engine)

Uizard.io (AI assistant)

To read more expert advice, click here.

This article was published in the September/October 2024 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.