There’s huge hype, and not a little anxiety, about what’s coming from AI. In fact, it’s already here and making our lives easier in myriad ways.
“AI is already deeply embedded in our daily lives, often in ways we barely notice, yet it continuously makes our routines more efficient and personalised,” says Alessia Paccagnini, associate professor at the UCD School of Business.
“In education, AI is transforming teaching and learning through adaptive platforms that tailor content to each student’s pace and needs, as well as intelligent tutors and automated feedback tools that support the development of coding or writing skills.
“In higher education, generative AI is being used for tasks such as grading assistance, content creation and even helping students draft code in econometrics or financial analysis. Students benefit from personalised learning paths, faster feedback and AI-generated quizzes or summaries – often without realising they’re engaging with AI through platforms like Duolingo or Grammarly.”
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Whether on Amazon, Zalando, Netflix or YouTube, consumer recommendation systems are based on past behaviour and suggest products and content we should buy.
“When we use our smartphones, AI powers features like autocorrect, predictive text and voice assistants that help us search, schedule and navigate tasks more easily. When we watch videos or listen to music, AI analyses our habits to suggest new content that we might enjoy, saving us time and creating a more personalised experience,” says Bronagh Riordan, AI and data partner, EY Ireland.
“When we shop online, AI-driven algorithms personalise the products we see and suggest complementary items that we are more likely to like, and behind the scenes of online shopping platforms, AI manages inventory in warehouses, predicts demand and ensures that products remain available when we need them,” she adds.
“Applications such as Honey or CamelCamelCamel monitor prices and propose customised discounts, whereas processes automated with the help of AI in banks watch out for cases of fraud in suspicious transactions,” says Paccagnini.
“In the medical industry, AI helps in keeping fit through apps such as Fitbit, provide mental health advice using chatbots that are AI-based such as Woebot or Wysa, and even notifies the user about medication intake. Smart homes have AI-controlled equipment such as a Nest thermostat, modern fridges help users make recipes depending on their contents, and intelligent home security, in turn, alerts unusual activity.”
AI is also helping people gain better access to social protections, as Hans Dubois, senior research manager at Eurofound, the Dublin-based European Foundation for Working and Living, points out.
In most EU member states you can now apply for such benefits online, and in some countries you can only apply online. But that “comes with challenges for people who cannot do that,” he says.
Th e Czech Republic recently digitalised its system, for example, but Eurofound’s research found that one-third of applicants needed support for their online application.
Here too AI can help, however, mainly in the form of chatbots. As that data is gathered, it is then used to improve the system.
Such improvements are often needed. Earlier this year Austria’s public employment agency ran into difficulties by suggesting low-paid roles in hospitality or caring services to women, while steering men towards higher-paid tech roles.
The Dutch have admitted institutional racism as the root cause of the Dutch childcare benefit scandal, where the discovery of algorithms using racial profiling brought down a government.
Amnesty International has called out the Danish welfare authority as being at risk of discriminating against people with disabilities, low-income individuals, migrants, refugees and marginalised racial groups through its use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to flag individuals for social benefits fraud investigations.
It’s important that countries learn from such incidents, says Duboi. And while AI is put to widespread use detecting fraud benefits, it should also be deployed to help find people who are entitled to benefits but don’t know it, he adds.
It is already helping. Kyran O’Mahoney, an Irish entrepreneur with vision impairment, recently secured €2 million in investment to develop an AI tool to help businesses ensure their websites are properly accessible to people with disabilities.
Doing so is a win for all. “We know that one in four people globally needs assistance to access the online world. If any business executive were told they could gain a 25 per cent increase in reach, acquisition or conversion, they’d bite your hand off,” says O’Mahoney.
“Greater digital inclusion drives productivity and innovation, builds stronger customer loyalty and opens up a broader, more diverse talent pool.” In an increasingly AI-driven world, it’s also more important than ever.
