There are many misconceptions about AI. When I told my 80-ish-year-old mother that I took some classes and am playing with some AI apps. She exclaimed, “Artificial Intelligence! Isn’t that dangerous?” What had she been reading? The AI apps that I have been using have been fun, time-saving, and necessary to my work.
One of the most common misconceptions about AI is that it is dangerous. This is understandable, given the many science fiction stories and movies that portray AI as a threat to humanity. Now, Terminator 2 is one of my favorite movies. However, it is important to remember that AI is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or bad. It is up to us to ensure that AI is used responsibly.
I’d like to share some of the lessons that I learned in my classes and some applications that I found easy to use. Most of the apps that I’ve been using are free. When I learn more about what I like, I will invest in the upgraded versions. I will share four types of AI examples and give you a list of applications out there. The four are text, images, music, and avatars. I’ll also share some examples of AI that I have experimented with in the past week.
Text
By now most people have heard of ChatGPT. There are many other text generators out there now. You need to choose what is the right one for your project. I suggest to experiment with them, read articles, and watch YouTube videos. I am not going to discuss how AI works but how to use some applications and give examples of what they can produce. You can make your own decisions about which one you like.
Using these applications, you can type information at a prompt and the AI will give you a result. Of course, GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) is what I have always heard about computer programs. This is no different. You need to be very specific about what you type into a prompt. Also, I always say, “please” and “thank you” just in case the machines do take over. I want them to know that at least this human was always polite.
I like Google Bard. It is up-to-date and is short and sweet. I find that ChatGPT makes my writing more flowery and longer. For example, I was tasked to create a contract for a study group that I help moderate. I copied the bullets that I wanted and put them into ChatGPT, then Google Bard. Here are the results. ChatGPT. Bard.
As you can see, Bard is very straight forward and ChatGPT adds more words and is longer. You might like that for a letter or story. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. One important thing to remember is to ALWAYS proofread what you get. Sometimes, AI likes to add some crazy phrases that have nothing to do with what you want.
Images
When I design my trainings, I use many photos to make my PowerPoints look much better. I use Adobe stock and pay $20 a month. For me, it is worth the price. Sometimes, I cannot find the exact picture that I want and that is very frustrating. With Firefly, an AI application, I can type the words describing the exact image that I want, and it appears in four different formats. I usually choose photos; however, I can choose none, graphics, or art as well.
Sometimes the photos are good, for example, the featured image on this blog. I typed in the prompt, “Robot and fat lady in a business suit high five”. AI does not have a lot of people in the database, especially heavy people. Also, hallucinations can happen; this means humans may have three fingers like in my photo or three eyes and a hand coming out of its head. I am sure it will still take a while for AI to produce better images. I have noticed that art looks much better but is not good for my purposes. I feel it looks too cartoony for a blog or presentation.
Music
I have been experimenting with Boomy.com to create my own jams. I recently wanted to write a jingle for a game show I created for one of my trainings. It is a free application; however, I am assuming that the paid version gives better quality and more choices. I can still generate a beat and a tune, but it is not that great. Since I don’t pay, I cannot download my strange music. My advice to you if you are not a musician is to play around with it then buy it if you feel that it will work for you. Some of the examples are amazing. Can you imagine knowing how to sing but not having a band? This would be great!
Avatars/video
AI can be used to create avatars that look like real people. This can be used for a variety of purposes, such as creating virtual assistants, avatars for video games, or even social media profiles.
I just love this app called kreadoai.com. For free I created this avatar which I call Jenny. Check her out. This application is so user-friendly. I just chose my avatar, her voice, and typed what I wanted her to say. Then I downloaded the file to an MP3. It was incredibly easy and a lot of fun.
These are just a few of the ways that AI can be used with text, images, music, and avatars/video. As AI technology continues to develop, we can expect to see even more innovative and creative applications of AI.
Conclusion
There are many misconceptions about AI. It is important to understand these misconceptions and to debunk them. We need to have a realistic understanding of AI to ensure that it is used for good and not evil like the Terminator.
I hope this blog post has been helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.
#AI #artificialIntelligence #learning
