How to Use AI More Intentionally - Lisa E Betz
Technology changes so quickly it’s hard to keep up with what’s current. That means we may not be using technology as wisely or effectively as we could. Which is why I’ve been trying to learn more about how to use AI more intentionally.
Before I start, let me clear the air.
First of all, we are already interacting regularly with AI (artificial intelligence) whether we realize it or not. Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, ChatGPT are all obvious examples of AI, but social media sites and retail websites are also using AI to personalize your feed.
Secondly, technology in and of itself is neither good nor evil. However, the way we utilize it can be. So the question isn’t “Do I love it or hate it?” but instead “How do I use AI wisely, ethically, and effectively?”
“As we stand at the doorway of a new era, we cannot enjoy AI’s benefits without confronting its challenges. AI pushes the boundaries of everything we know, including autonomy, intelligence, consciousness, work, and education.” – Dr. Tonya T. Strickland in Who Generated My Cheese?
“AI has the potential to be more transformative than electricity or fire.” – Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google
I hope this brief introduction to the strengths, weaknesses, and potential pitfalls of AI technology will help you use AI more intentionally. And remember, no matter how old we are, we can still learn new things and conquer new skills.
Only YOU can prevent unethical usage
AI is supposed to honor copyrighted material, but how far can we trust it?
Not very. It’s designed to provide us what we ask for, not to make ethical decisions. And the volume of data it pulls from is far, far too large to effectively police.
On top of that, there are plenty of content creators out there using AI who don’t care one whit about ethical usage.
Bottom line: While AI can be a wonderful time-saving tool for content creation, don’t trust it to comply 100% with ethical usage of copyrighted material such as images, videos, songs, and documents. Use your common sense and think before you repost.
If you’re creating something with the intent of making money, or creating a public presentation, take extra care to ensure the components are legit.
Don’t trust everything AI tells you
You already know you can’t believe everything you read on the internet. But did you know AI interfaces sometimes make up false data? And then offer fake citations to make the data look real?
On top of that, AI may misinterpret data or draw from online sources that are themselves inaccurate (intentionally or not).
How do you protect yourself from being hoodwinked? By taking everything with a grain of salt.
Think of AI as a first-round tool for finding stuff out, just as you would use Wikipedia. It’s a good place to start but always go deeper and double-check your facts. For information of any significance, like health or legal issues, get confirmation from an actual human.
Be aware of its persuasive powers
Retail advertising and media outlets have long been using sophisticated psychology to influence our opinions and buying habits. AI makes their influence much more powerful.
“By analyzing our online activities, purchase histories, social interactions, and even emotional patterns, AI can craft highly personalized and persuasive messages. These tailored communications subtly influence our decisions, often without our conscious awareness.” Dr. Tonya T. Strickland
What do we do about this?
- Make an effort to avoid bias. Search engines are designed to give you what you want, which means they naturally slant all information toward your personal outlook and preferences. If you want results that cover both sides of an issue, you will need to intentionally search accordingly.
- Beware impulse purchasing. If you easily succumb to impulse purchases, you may need to implement a plan to limit the risk. For example, you can use the “24-hour rule” where you must wait 24 hours before completing any internet purchase.
- Be on the alert for scams. Scammers utilize AI to create ever more realistic traps. If an email, text, or pop-up seems even the tiniest bit off, don’t trust it! You should always go directly to the website of the company the message is purportedly from rather than clicking any link in the email.
Finally, if you’re pursuing a career that involves creativity or utilizes computers in any way, you will need to learn how to harness the power of AI. Business experts are saying things like this:
“AI is going to reshape every industry and every job.” – Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn
“AI will not replace humans, but those who use AI will replace those who don’t.” – Ginni Rometty, Former CEO of IBM
Therefore, to use AI more intentionally, you will need to…
Learn how to create effective AI prompts
Writing effective prompts is a large topic and I am far from an expert, so I’m not going to attempt to explain it here. However, based on all I have learned about the topic and my experiments using ChatGPT and Claude ai, I know this is a fundamental skill.
This 4 ½ minute video gives you a good example of what I’m talking about.
I hope this brief introduction of the subject will help you to use AI more intentionally. It’s up to each of us to surf the net with wisdom, confidence, and a clear conscience.
