It's easy to be afraid of artificial intelligence and what its future holds. Hollywood produces a steady stream of movies, like I, Robot, Terminator and Iron Man, where robots become powerful--and sometimes uncontrollable forces. Tesla founder Elon Musk has even said that A.I. is "more dangerous than nukes."
But A.I. doesn't just have to result in doomsday scenarios where robots take over Earth and hold humans hostage. With a forecast of $78 billion to be invested in A.I. technologies by 2022, it's important to recognize that these innovations aren't going away, and learn how to harness them in a way that helps us thrive.
Here are three ways you can benefit from A.I. technologies:
1. Enjoy more free time.
Many A.I.-enabled apps can automate mundane tasks that will help people improve efficiency and save time. Clara, for example, is an app used by the recruiting industry that integrates with your email and calendar to suggest available times for when you can meet. It helps hiring managers and candidates sidestep booking headaches. Another is Time, an app that tracks how you spend your days. If it senses that you're procrastinating, it'll nudge you to get back to work. These apps are all aimed at boosting productivity, which will then earn you more leisure time.
2. Become more enlightened.
You can ask Amazon Alexa to play music, recount the news of the day, and answer obscure questions. And now, you can even get a daily dose of spiritual guidance from yours truly, Deepak Chopra, through Alexa's LivePerson, a conversational commerce platform. Every morning, I share daily thoughts on topics such as well-being, the human potential, meditation and spirituality. The hope is that these insights help clear your mind and make space for feelings of love and joy. When we engage with A.I. technologies in this way, we can create a greater ecosystem of positive intentions and eventually manifest these good thoughts and life-affirming beliefs into reality.
With a forecast of $78 billion to be invested in A.I. technologies by 2022, it's important to recognize that these innovations aren't going away...
3. Communicate more quickly.
If you're like the rest of us, you probably spend a lot of time on various devices, from smartphones to tablets. Every day, we write many messages to families, friends and colleagues. Keyboard apps like SwiftKey helps you communicate with others more quickly by leveraging AI to predict what you're about to write. When you type in "Meet you at," for example, Swiftkey will suggest certain words like "the airport" or "the office."
It's true that we need to be cautious about the dangers of A.I., particularly if these powerful technologies are wielded by malevolent people. But let's not dismiss the everyday ways that you can benefit from this innovation revolution today.
Commentary by Deepak Chopra and Kabir Sehgal. Chopra is the author of The Healing Self with Rudolph E. Tanzi, the founder of The Chopra Foundation, co-founder of Jiyo and The Chopra Center for Wellbeing. Sehgal is a New York Times bestselling author. He is a former vice president at JPMorgan Chase, multi-Grammy Award winner and U.S. Navy veteran. Chopra and Sehgal are co-creators of Home: Where Everyone Is Welcome, inspired by American immigrants.
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