AI: What is it? And how can I use it.
by Emily Nichols, Chris Sargisson | 21st Oct 2024 | Hethel Innovation
When it comes to explaining the capabilities of AI, we could spend lots of time gathering research and typing out a perfectly good blog post. Or, we could do what many are now doing and just ask AI to write the blog for us! We’ll go for a middle ground. We actually asked the AI tool, ChatGPT, to come up with the most commonly asked questions about AI, and we’ve used the results to help us write this blog post.
Just as this blog demonstrates, AI in its simplest form can be fantastic tool to improve productivity and save time on everyday tasks. As we’re learning, it’s capabilities seem endless and it has the possibility to continue to keep transforming our every day.
It can of course, be daunting to think, well where do I fit into this? Am I going to get left behind if I don’t have the knowledge on how to use AI? AI shouldn’t be something to fear and it’s something you’re probably already using without realising. Here’s a breakdown of how AI works and where to get started if you want to implement it into your working life.
What exactly is AI, and is there more than one type of AI?
AI, or artificial intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines designed to think, learn, and solve problems. It encompasses a range of technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics, allowing systems to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, and making decisions. AI can be applied in various fields, from healthcare and finance to entertainment and customer service.
AI can be categorised into three main types:
Narrow AI (Weak AI): Designed for specific tasks, such as language translation or image recognition. It operates within set parameters and doesn’t possess general intelligence.
General AI (Strong AI): A theoretical AI that would have human-like cognitive abilities, capable of understanding, learning, and applying knowledge across a wide range of tasks. It currently doesn’t exist.
Super intelligent AI: A hypothetical form of AI that would exceed human intelligence in all areas, including creativity and problem-solving. It raises ethical and safety concerns due to its potential power.
You’re probably already using AI in your everyday, maybe without really realising it. What do the examples below all have in common? All of these applications enhance convenience and efficiency for us, often operating in the background while we go about our daily activities.
- Smart Assistants: Virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant help with tasks like setting reminders, playing music, or answering questions.
- Social Media: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram employ AI for content curation, personalised feeds, and targeted advertising.
- Customer Support: Many websites use chatbots to answer questions and assist users, providing quick responses without human intervention.
- Spam Filters: Email services use AI to filter out spam and categorise messages, improving inbox organisation.
- Image Recognition: Photo apps use AI to identify faces, categorise images, and even enhance photos automatically.
What sectors are using AI and there any risks involved with using AI in my Business?
In the UK, AI is making significant strides in several sectors:
- Healthcare: AI is being used for diagnostics, predictive analytics, personalised medicine, and managing patient records. Applications include image analysis for radiology and AI-driven tools for drug discovery.
- Transportation: AI is advancing in areas like autonomous vehicles, traffic management, and logistics optimisation, improving efficiency and safety in transport systems.
- Manufacturing: AI is used in predictive maintenance, quality control, and supply chain optimisation, helping to streamline operations and reduce costs.
- Education: AI-powered tools are being developed for personalised learning experiences, automated grading, and administrative efficiencies, enhancing educational outcomes.
These sectors are harnessing AI’s potential to drive innovation, efficiency, and improved outcomes. While harnessing the benefits of the above, some of us will still hold concerns over the risks AI poses. For example, how AI has the potential for bias and discrimination in decision-making, as AI systems can reflect and amplify biases present in their training data. Worries about job displacement due to automation are also common, which could lead to economic instability. Additionally, ethical dilemmas particularly in sensitive areas like healthcare and military applications, further complicate the discussion around responsible AI use.
How to use AI in your everyday to make your life easier?
AI can enhance productivity in everyday job roles by automating routine tasks like data entry and scheduling, allowing employees to focus on higher-value work. It facilitates quick data analysis to inform decision-making, improves customer service through chatbots that provide instant responses, and assists in content creation for reports and communications. By leveraging AI, individuals can work smarter, not harder, leading to increased efficiency, better outcomes, and a more balanced workload.
Top 5 most useful AI tools to boost everyday productivity:
Notion: Notion combines notes, tasks, databases, and collaboration features into one platform. Its AI capabilities assist in content generation, summarisation, and task organization, making project management more efficient.
Trello: A project management and collaboration tool that helps individuals and teams organise tasks and projects visually.
Grammarly: An AI-driven writing assistant, Grammarly checks grammar, punctuation, and style, offering suggestions to enhance clarity and tone. It helps users produce polished, professional documents and emails.
Perplexity AI: Is a search and question-answering tool that leverages artificial intelligence to provide users with concise and relevant information, much like ChatGPT. Perplexity AI delivers answers sourced from a variety of online resources, making it more interactive than traditional search engines. However unlike ChatGPT, Perplexity provides citations for the information it presents, allowing users to verify sources and explore further if desired.
Shoutout to ChatGPT for helping us write this article.
We asked ChatGPT a series of questions and used its answers to populate the key points of each section in this blog article. Using AI to assist in content creation can be a really useful tool, we’ll be looking to see how we can use it more regularly to speed up our information search, while still making sure information is of value and is correct.
Hethel Innovation’s approach to supporting businesses in Norfolk and East Anglia rests on three key offerings: Space to Grow, Business Insight, and Connected Communities. Want to chat to us about what we do? Get in touch at info@hethelinnovation.com or check out www.hethelinnovation.com/about.
About the Author
Chris Sargisson
Chief Executive Officer
My role is principally to support the delivery of Hethel Innovation Ltd’s 5 year growth strategy. Seeking purpose and relevancy and our own innovation in the work we will do to support as many Game Changing business as possible.

