Everyone is scared of AI. Not me. And even if AI eventually becomes sentient and takes over the world and enslaves humans, let me be the first to say hello to my new robot-computer overlords.

My latest, “wow, AI is amazing,” came today because Bard (Google’s AI-Chat-thingy) just announced it can create pictures. I was working on something and thought my presentation would “pop” a little with a picture of the state of Michigan but with icicles and snow. Not life or death and I was prepared to tell my story and create a picture in the minds of my audience, but as long as I was working so hard on the Power Point, why not add a little pizazz.

So I typed into Bard the following…

Create and image of the state of Michigan and make it look like the state is a cartoon character and very cold with icicles hanging from some places and snow flakes falling.

And Bard gave me these…

Pretty amazing, right? Maybe the word I’m looking for is “fascinating.”

I am fascinated by AI. I use it all the time. How? Do you know you can have a conversation with AI? My workplace has a corporate version of Bing Chat (Microsoft’s AI). Recently I asked it the following…

Help me with a research project. First, tell me the top-10 Fittest or Healthiest Cities in the U.S.  Then list out the Top-10 Most Vegetarian, or the top-10 Vegan Friendly Cities in the U.S. And tell me why and how you came up with this list. Then, compare the two lists and tell me which cities appear on both lists.

In less than a minute, it had a full report with sources and rationale. So I asked Bing Chat the next question…

Now, create a map of the U.S. and label the cities that appear on both lists and label them with a biking or running icon and a head or broccoli.

It made a perfect visual for the presentation I was making.

I’ve asked AI to create an image of a “cartoon turkey being dropped from a airplane”, and “do a SWOT analysis of the top-5 energy drinks and suggest 3 ways an emerging energy drink could be a disruptor”, and then I asked it a series of questions analyzing the starting salaries of nurses v. teachers (by grade level) v. fire fighters v. police officers v. non-profit directors.

I asked AI to give me a 1-week weight lifting plan designed for a 50-year-old man who hasn’t lifted weights in about 5 years.

AI nailed each project. AI gave me things to think about. AI didn’t always get things perfect the first time, but in a conversational way, AI and I figured stuff out.

I’m opposed to AI writing term papers and cover letters. Yet I’m not opposed to using AI in the good, positive ways. Or just for fun.

Bard Prompt-1:  Show me all Jim Carrey movies in the order they were released

Follow-Up Prompt:  Now show me that list without pictures and put that list into a Google Sheet if you can.

See below. Wow, right?

When the microwave was invented, did traditionalists say, “hell no, I’ll reheat things like I always have.”  When the mobile phone was invented, did grumpy-old-men say, “I’ll keep my wall phone and corded phone at the office, thank you very much?”

Sometimes the “new” is beautiful and wonderful. I’m as old-fashioned as anyone (in some ways), but the AI lesson is this …keep an open mind. Never stop learning. Maybe you won’t figure out how to use it to release a new John Lennon song, but AI can do something for you. The microwave. The mobile phone. Wifi. You can point to ways they hurt society, but I can point to many more ways it’s improved things.

Ask yourself, how can AI help a regular joe. Better yet, ask AI.

Oh, right …here’s that Jim Carrey movie list. Thanks, Bard.