How to Apply Artificial Intelligence to Achieve a Better Life

Since the launch of ChatGPT last year, the number of artificial intelligence tools has exploded. Now, chatbots are in the spotlight, with hundreds of thousands of AI projects underway. Microsoft and Google have joined OpenAI in the pursuit of AI, and even TikTok, Adobe, and Shopify are incorporating generative AI into their systems.

Although generative AI may seem like a recent development, Andy Watson, Product Management and IoT Director at Rightpoint, says otherwise: "People have been researching this problem for decades, but in terms of everyday experience and interaction, it's a new and powerful technology."

However, for many of us, the biggest impact of AI is in our homes. Through automation, virtual assistants, and machine learning algorithms, AI can make households more efficient and save valuable time.

"Bringing intelligence into the entire home is a huge benefit that generative AI can provide," says Watson. AI can go beyond today's smart devices, such as intelligently enhancing security footage in low-light conditions or generating routines and automations based on learned patterns and allowing homeowners to confirm them. Generative AI also has the potential to offer predictive maintenance.

AI can learn from your home, your appliances, and your consumption to make inferences from the data, says Watson, "helping you identify items in your home that require specific preventive maintenance, either to be done by the homeowner or arranged through generative AI on your behalf with trusted third parties."

Take a look at what Google Assistant can do for Pixel smartphone users now. The virtual voice assistant can screen calls, talk to callers, and inform users about the content of the call they're receiving, or simply reject spam calls. Generative AI tools in smart homes can further evolve, using data collected from devices to set appointments for your HVAC maintenance, landscaping, or drain cleaning based on your specific schedule.

"If you have a smart water heater that's connected to the internet and collecting some data, a generative AI system would be able to infer from your usage patterns," says Watson, and determine when maintenance is needed.

This assistant can directly schedule appointments with repair companies, provide you with trusted resources highly rated by neighbors, or offer personalized recommendations based on its understanding of my preferences. In short, AI can help you make decisions quickly.

"AI is a very broad technology and is developing rapidly. I think that's why many people are concerned about its direction," says Watson.

"Transparency is the first step," says Watson. "People need to know how their data is being used and whether it's being stored."

Like any technology, different consumers will have different opinions. However, for AI to progress and be applied smoothly, it is important to address the current issues.