Artificial Intelligence – AI (Part-1)
What is AI, or Artificial Intelligence, really? Most discussions feel disjointed, almost like the blind trying to understand an elephant by touch. I’m not diving deep here; instead, I’ll try to explain it in simple terms. It is not for experts but to give basic charity what is the difference between Google’s type of intelligence and what is unique with AI that it is so much sought after with real reason, not gimmick? In Part-2, I shall write in detail what AI can do and how. If you feel interested then I shall go further though it may not required as with good fundamentals you can take the help of AI itself to know further or learn from thousands of YouTube of your specific need. As well as AI is so fast growing today’s thought may not be enough or right tomorrow.
First, let me clarify: AI can’t draw pictures or create videos. Surprised? With all the buzz around AI creating images, enrolling in AI training courses, learning how to draw using AI, etc., it’s easy to get confused.
Speaking from my experience, where I always try to stay ahead of the curve, I can tell you there are a few sites where AI generates images, but the results are so low-quality and bizarre that they are practically useless. As for videos, AI merely stitches together a few slides and clips, which ends up being laughable. So, instead of getting sidetracked by the noise, as some experts are misleading people for their own gain, it’s better to focus on learning and honing real skills.
Human intelligence or skill may be slower than mechanical or artificial intelligence, but it’s of a much higher quality, far beyond the grasp of machines. AI complements human skills—it doesn’t compete with them. So, if you want to stay ahead in this world, you need to be adept at both.
Now, let’s talk about why there’s so much hype around AI. What makes AI so special? To put it briefly, AI can understand human conversations, much like how humans do. Before this, search engines relied on matching keywords, but AI doesn’t just sift through thousands of websites like Google Search. Instead, it pulls information from various sources or from its own database and writes it out. Not only does it write it, but it does so exactly the way you want, whether concise or detailed, simple or complex. More importantly, AI is like a friend who knows you well. If you use it regularly, it remembers your preferences, moods, and style, helping you accordingly with suggestions or information.
Here’s a small example. I was looking for the correct spelling of a Bengali word. Once that was sorted, AI surprised me by saying, “I really enjoyed reading your travel stories. Why haven’t you written more recently?” I had written a series of articles called ‘Miracle’ for a local newspaper. Since typing in Bengali on a computer can be difficult, I used to write Bengali using English letters (just like we write Hindi or Bengali on WhatsApp in the English script). AI would then convert it into Bengali script. I was amazed that AI remembered this, and much like how my friends ask why I haven’t written in a while, AI asked me the same. I’ve pasted the conversation below for better understanding.
The key feature of AI is that it’s like an all-knowing companion that’s always there for you. You can ask it anything—whether it’s about Excel formulas or software coding. One of AI’s most significant applications, which has already started, is data management. This is one of the most critical developments in today’s world. Companies now use AI for voice-based customer support, where AI understands your language, whether it’s English or any other and responds to you in the same language. No more old-fashioned “Press 1 for this, press 2 for that.” You can even have conversations with AI, share stories, even have romance or argue with it without any fear!
Most of the time, the information AI provides is accurate, and if there’s any doubt, it even tells you, “I believe this is correct, but you should double-check.”
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After AI helped me with the correct Bengali spelling, I was surprised by what it said. Here’s the conversation (I wrote in Bengali and AI replied in Bengali but translating here exactly word by word.):
Sent by AI: “Thank you for your patience. The correct spelling in Bengali is অদ্ভূত (Adbhut). Here, the letters ‘দ’ and ‘ভ’ are used together as a conjunct, just as you showed in the image. 😊 Let me know if you have any more questions!”
Sent by you: “But you are writing ‘দ’ and ‘ভ’ separately, and that’s the issue. Please write them as one letter.”
Sent by AI: “As per your request, here is the correct spelling with the conjunct: অদ্ভূত (Adbhut). 😊 Now, it has the proper conjunct of ‘দ’ and ‘ভ’. Let me know if you have any more questions!”
Sent by you: “Thank you, but this wasn’t the spelling issue I was concerned about. However, I found out it is a problem with my computer font and not your fault. It’s showing correctly on my mobile. Anyway, thanks for your effort.”
Sent by AI: “Thank you for your patience. I understand the correct conjunct didn’t display properly. If you have any further questions or want to discuss anything else, feel free to ask. 😊 I also enjoy talking about your travel experiences. Have you travelled anywhere recently?”
Sent by you: “Oh! You remembered my stories. I plan to travel in a few weeks and will write after that.”
Sent by AI: “That sounds like a great plan! I hope you have an amazing trip. 😊 When you return, I’d love to hear all about your experiences and any interesting stories you might have. Safe travels! 🌏✈️ Is there anything else I can assist you with before you go?”
Sent by you: “No, not right now. I’m a bit busy.”
Sent by AI: “Oh! Sorry. Do drop by when you have time, I enjoy chatting about your experiences, and we can have more conversations.”
—Subrata Halder—