Every article about AI seems to start with a warning. Robots are coming. Jobs will be lost. The world as we know it is ending, and so on. This is not that kind of article.
AI, ML, Gen AI, AGI... What are all these?
AI technology is advancing rapidly, and learning how to use it is in our hands. We hear various AI terms every day, but many don't exactly know what they mean. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is basically the big idea of machines being able to do tasks that normally require human intelligence. Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of AI. Here, instead of following pre-written rules, systems learn patterns from data. Your email spam filter, movie recommendations on OTT platforms, and Face ID on your phone - these are all ML technologies. They have been working in the background for many years.
Recently, everyone is talking about Generative AI (Gen AI). This is AI that doesn't just analyze or classify, but creates new content. Gen AI is made possible through Large Language Models (LLMs). Companies like OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), and Google are building these. They are trained on vast amounts of text, images, and videos, learn patterns, and can write, speak, think, and help like humans. Today, when anyone says "AI," they are almost entirely talking about Gen AI.
The AI Commotion
Every major technology that came before - the printing press, electricity, the internet - helped us do things we were already doing, but faster or on a massive scale. Gen AI, however, does things we always believed only humans could do. That's why there is a lot of anxiety around Gen AI. Understanding what is happening inside Gen AI models gives us a better perspective and reduces that anxiety. When you ask an LLM a question, it is not looking for an answer in some database. Based on everything it learned during training, it is predicting what the most accurate answer is, word by word. Once this makes sense, a lot of the mystery disappears. It is not a magical black box. It is a highly advanced pattern engine.
No one knows for sure if it will always be limited to this. Every major AI company in the world is racing towards what is called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). AGI refers to systems that can think, plan, and perhaps originate ideas like humans. They might arrive in five years, fifty years, or sooner than any of us can imagine. In my view, just being a spectator to such a phenomenon is not a good plan. Whether AI remains a powerful tool or becomes something much more, those who learn to use it now will benefit.
Really? How?
These aren't just possibilities for the distant future; they are possible with the tools available right now:
For Students: A student struggling with organic chemistry at 11 PM, long after tutoring hours, can open an AI assistant and patiently get step-by-step explanations. They can upload their textbook, saved YouTube links, articles shared by their teacher, and their own class notes into a tool like Google NotebookLM, and converse with that entire collection. They can ask questions, get summaries, cross-reference sources, and get clear instructions on how to learn the topic from scratch, just like a private tutor.
For Working Professionals: A working professional needing to prep a presentation for the morning can use AI to create a first draft, organize key points, and even get visual suggestions.
For Parents: A parent wanting to help their child with a school project on a long-forgotten topic can sit with an AI assistant and learn alongside them.
If you are a student, you are in the luckiest position. You have time, and if you have curiosity, there is so much you can do with AI.
How to Learn?
In any profession, science, or field, moving forward always depends on asking the right questions. This applies to AI as well. Ask AI a vague question, and you will get a vague answer. Think, and frame your question clearly and correctly. It will surprise you with its answers.
Learn to frame good questions rather than just using AI for quick answers. Reject shallow, poor answers. Ask it to explain its reasoning. Point out its mistakes and see how it responds. It is very easy for AI to flatter you and put you on a pedestal. To avoid that, scrutinize its answers closely. Don't use AI the way you use Google Search.
Skill comes with practice. Use AI every day. Not just for studies. Use it to plan a weekend, settle an argument about a movie, understand a news headline, write a better message, or learn a new word. The more you use it, the better you will know what to ask, when to trust it, and when to question it. If you blindly believe everything it says without questioning, there will be no proper result.
Critics' Opinion
Lately, some say AI consumes too much energy and is not good for the planet. That is something worth considering. Training and running AI models requires a lot of power. Streaming movies, doing Google searches, and scrolling through social media for hours also require energy. Energy consumption is a problem the industry must solve, and better hardware, clean energy, and efficient models will come. Others say using it will dull the brain. As mentioned earlier, if you just nod yes to whatever AI says, that might happen. But if used correctly, in my view, it fosters critical thinking. While working with AI, discernment is not optional.
Staying away from this shift just because it isn't perfect yet is not reasonable in my view.
As a parent, if you find out your kids are using AI, your first reaction might be to take it away. The goal shouldn't be to keep them away from AI, but to help them use it intelligently. Ask them to learn how to get work done with AI.
Finally...
It is a fact that AI is now a part of our lives. The question isn't whether it's a boon or a bane to our existence. What matters is what you do with it.
Learn. Teach.