AI-Careful Thinking: What AI IS and is NOT

I am an average person without a tech background. I have used email, text, social media and apps. I have played around with SIRI and Alexa and yes, I have used ChatGPT. AI, according to most experts, is the coming wave. Many say if you don't catch this wave, you will be left behind in the dust. So, why should I get on the wave, how do I get on it and how do I stay on the AI surfboard, safely? This book is for all of us who don't live in Silicon Valley, we drive a Honda, and do our own grocery shopping. If someone asked me the overall theme of the book my answer would be the following: Use "careful thinking" when it comes to AI. Period.

At this point in time, AI is like a slow-moving merry-go-round. It is moving and if you can time it right, you can jump on the merry-go-round with relative ease. Every month that goes by, AI is making that merry-go-round faster and faster. By the time you read this book, the merry-go-round will be moving significantly faster and faster and faster. I realize that for many, AI seems very complex and hard to wrap your head around. The objective of this book is to help you make sense of it all. Granted this is a big challenge because of the promises and grandeur of AI. When you are done reading this book you are not going to be an expert at AI. You will, however, have your eyes opened up to the importance of being very careful and think about AI in a new light hopefully. Remember, "Our minds are the control towers of our thoughts."

Careful thinking is required with Artificial Intelligence!

To help make it easier to understand, I decided to break AI down into five parts and then throughout the rest of the book have some fun with where this is all going.

1.Narrow AI: Where AI specializes in one specific task. Examples include chess programs, image recognition software, or virtual assistants like Siri and the more advanced chatbots like ChatGPT4o.

2.General AI (AGI or Artificial General Intelligence): Where AI would be able to perform any intellectual task a human can. This doesn't exist yet, but it's a goal scientists are working towards.

3.Super AI: A hypothetical AI that would surpass human intelligence across all fields. This is still in the realm of science fiction.

4.Machine Learning: A subset of AI where systems improve their performance on a task through experience, without being explicitly programmed.

5.Deep Learning: A more complex form of machine learning using neural networks, often used for tasks like speech recognition or autonomous driving.

Narrow AI is the most common form today. While very capable in its specific domain, it lacks the flexibility and broad understanding that characterize human-like intelligence. The objective of this book is about finding value using AI. I am more encouraged by its potential and more cautious about its risks. By now I am certain that you get the message; Careful thinking is my prevailing message.This book will reveal most, if not all, of the reasons I believe that those who get on the AI merry-go-round will thrive...but get on with careful thinking.