If AIs are so smart, why do they get so many things wrong? Today’s AIs are prone to errors and “hallucinations“, which is just a euphemism for delivering incorrect answers. A glaring example occurred in February 2023 when Google’s AI, Bard, erroneously claimed the James Webb Space Telescope took the first picture of an exoplanet. There’s a plethora of stories on Reddit about AI just not giving the right answers. If this sounds like your experience with AI, then you’re probably not engaging with AI in the right way. Today’s AIs aren’t like the ones depicted in Hollywood, at least not yet.

To be sure, we’re definitely living in a wonderful time. We can speak (or type) to our computers using natural language, and they respond back in kind. It really does feel like we’re living in the future. However, the AIs of today aren’t quite like the ones you see in sci-fi movies. They’re convincing but not quite there yet, and they do have a pattern if you can spot it. This is why your AI doesn’t feel like Iron Man’s J.A.R.V.I.S. So, how do you get an AI, like ChatGPT, to provide accurate responses? Context is key! Today’s AIs can’t distinguish between right and wrong. They merely provide words that are most likely to follow the words you gave them based on other source materials. The more context you provide, the more likely you are to receive a correct response.

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence

Getting answers from AI is all well and good, but that’s not leveraging its full potential. Instead of seeking answers to your questions, you should use AI as your personal assistant. Give it your emails and instruct it to sort based on importance or urgency. Have it summarize or highlight the key points of a news article or story. AI is exceedingly good at these types of tasks. Writing a story? Brainstorm with your AI! Use it to proof-read your work. Throwing a Halloween party and need a catchy title for the invitations? Check out this example. Remember, context is key!

Maybe I’m not the most creative person, but these suggestions seem pretty solid. I might use one of them or a combination, especially if I were a medical professional working at a hospital. Or if I were to throw a party at all, but you get the point. AI isn’t just a replacement for Google; it is so much more. While it’s not like a J.A.R.V.I.S. or a Cortana, it’s highly capable. Just don’t look to it for answers because AIs can’t know right from wrong. But as your assistant? They’re wonderful.