AI, the here and NOW

By BD Bondy

Last week, I delved into the world of AI programs in search of the perfect one. After testing several options, my quest led me to ChatboxAI, an Apple-supported tool available on their store for $40 a year. Excited to see its potential, I eagerly began experimenting with it. My initial attempts involved generating different versions of iconic personalities like Betty Boop and Billy Idol, hoping to witness the program's creative prowess. However, my excitement quickly faded as the results fell short of my expectations. Despite my disappointment, this experience emphasized the importance of exploring multiple AI tools to find the one that aligns best with your needs and expectations.

Okay, so those opening paragraphs were AI generated. I entered several sentences as a description, and the AI generated a fairly humorless but flowery re-write of what I entered. It's very interesting to use. I didn't like the 'art' that I attempted, and I'll definitely give that another try. I did enjoy the text based writing. I started by selecting an option to generate kids stories and entered a couple of the stories I actually told my kids when they were small. 

I have to say, it did a very satisfying job. It took my basic stories and re-told them in a more embellished form. It definitely kept my story intact but added some nice flourishes. 

My favorite daughter-in-law, Olivia, actually uses AI at work. She generates content for marketing, mass emails, social media reports, cover letters, etc. Apparently, using AI at the workplace is fairly common these days. I can see how it could be quite a time saver and used as a basis for work, could be very helpful in productivity. 

AI can be used to generate interview questions, most interestingly, AI can be used to generate a 'warmer' set of interview questions. My daughter talked about how some teachers used it to create a curriculum for students, though the STEM teachers decided it was easier to generate a curriculum on their own. Still, it gives an option which can be used as a productivity tool. A tool where the results may be used, adjusted, or tweaked as needed.

She has also used it to create a cover letter for her resume. For example, she will tell AI to create a cover letter for the specific position description, using her existing resume, and her job history. 

One of the app's suggested uses was for students to use it to write papers. While I can see that happening, it seems like a total non-learning process which ultimately would be detrimental to a student. I'm guessing that's a common opinion, certainly an obvious one. 

As to the philosophical and ethical issues of using AI, that isn't what I'll be writing about in this particular article, but I'm certainly thinking about it.