You may have already used artificial intelligence without realising it. It is becoming more and more embedded in our every day lives.  

Here are a few examples of AI that are available right now. 

Virtual Assistants 

Have you ever asked Siri to play your favourite song? Or decided to test whether Alexa can make you laugh with a joke? 

Then you’ve used AI. Virtual assistants are AI powered tools which can help you simply by talking to them. You’ll find them in your phone and voice activated devices like Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa.  

By using their voice activation, you can ask for information, play music or a radio station, setting reminders, and more. You can even control some of the other devices in your house if they are smart! 

There are text based virtual assistants too, such as the ones you find in internet browsers, like Chat GPT, Gemini and Copilot. 

Virtual assistants are constantly learning from the way you use them, to help them improve each time.  

 
Gaming 

Videogames are being revolutionised by gaming, both in terms of how games are made, and what the player experiences. 

For developers, they can use AI to help them create games quicker, with improved graphics and vast worlds, created and handled by AI. It also means they can have better anti-cheat systems to protect their game and those playing it.  

In the games themselves, players will meet smarter NPCs (non-player characters, who are run by the game, not the player), who are more responsive and lifelike. As gamers play, AI will learn how good they are at the game, and adjust the difficulty to keep the challenge at the right level.  

 
Social media 

Platforms like Instagram and TikTok use artificial intelligence to offer users personalised content suggestions. The AI learns what a user likes, and based on that, will show them posts or users they may want to connect with. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Apple+ and Amazon Prime use AI in the same way, letting the system suggest what programme you might want to watch next based on your previous choices.  

You may also see content created by AI. Text, images and video can all be created quickly by artificial intelligence, meaning users don’t have to do it themselves. And filters on apps like Snapchat are powered by AI.  

Fitness and Health 

Ever wanted to have your own personal trainer to get you feeling fit? AI has you covered. 

Smart fitness and health apps use artificial intelligence to create customised workout plans, follow how well you are doing along the way, and make suggestions on things like nutrition. 

They can even keep an eye on how long and well you are sleeping, to see if there are any patterns of changes that you might want to make.  

Your very own pocket personal trainer or wellness coach.  

In School 

AI can be used in schools to enhance learning, support teachers, and make some tasks quicker and easier.  

Content and lessons can be created by AI to suit each pupil’s needs and progress. It can also provide feedback and answer questions for pupils whenever they need it, helping to explain things you may have missed or not understood in class.  

Scottish schools are currently exploring what AI can do for them, and how best to use it. Education Scotland have developed AI exploration hubs, designed to introduce students and teachers to the role of AI in education.