Jim Rossman: AI is coming – are you ready?

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Everybody has heard about artificial intelligence, but AI is just now starting to hit the mainstream.

AI has started to creep into my online life lately, and it is changing the way I search for things online and converse with virtual assistants. You might find these in your online life as well.

Google

We are all used to searching with Google. Type in a few words on a topic and you’ll get a list of links to explore – but lately there’s another option.

On my Google search page, there is an AI mode that will attempt to parse through the search results and actually give you the best answer to your query and not just return a list of links.

When I type, “What kind of oil should I use in a 2010 Mini Cooper?” the AI answer was, “For a 2010 Mini Cooper, you should use full synthetic oil with a viscosity of 5W-30 or 5W-40.” This is the correct answer.

I’m not saying every answer will be right, but I appreciate Google is trying to actually help.

Give it a try.

Comet browser

Perplexity is a good AI platform by itself, and now they have their own browser called Comet, which is built on the Google Chrome browsing engine, so you can import your Chrome extensions, passwords and bookmarks.

Comet has a basic set of AI skills with the free version. You can use it to ask search questions, summarize content or translate whatever is in your browser window.

There are more features available if you subscribe, and there are a variety of subscription levels for personal, educational and business use.

I’ve been using Comet as my main browser for a few weeks now, and I do like the Perplexity AI search, but sometimes I do just want to do a quick image search, so I’ll visit Google for what I find familiar.

You can find the browser at perplexity.ai/comet.

Alexa+

If you have a new Alexa device, or are an Amazon Prime customer, you have probably been invited to upgrade to Alexa+, which is an upgraded version of Alexa with better comprehension and conversational qualities.

You’ll notice the Alexa+ voice is different, and that the blue light stays on after your Alexa interaction is done. This blue light means Alexa+ is still listening to you and is available for a follow up question or to continue the conversation.

Keeping the conversation going is interesting.

I asked Alexa, “where can I find good pie in East Dallas" and she listed Humble Pie (my favorite) and Thunderbird Pies, which is a Detroit-style pizza restaurant.

When I pointed out her mistake, she immediately admitted I was right and then included another nearby bakery instead.

I usually ask her about the latest Dallas Stars hockey game. She tells me the score, then I ask who scored goals, and after that, I can ask how the Stars are doing in the standing and when is the next game. It’s all very conversational, and it works well, but it is not perfect.

Alexa+ can even learn about you if you decide to let it know things like your birthday or what’s on your calendar.

AI is undoubtedly going to be in all our futures. You should dip your toe in the AI waters and get used to how AI differs from traditional search engines.