25/05/2026
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗜, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly become part of everyday life over the past decade.
It is being used to personalise social media feeds, spot friends and family in smartphone photos and pave the way for medical breakthroughs.
But the rise of chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Meta AI has been accompanied by concern about the technology's environmental impact, ethical implications and data use.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿?
AI allows computers to process large amounts of data, identify patterns and follow detailed instructions about what to do with that information.
Computers cannot think, empathise or reason.
However, scientists have developed systems that can perform tasks which usually require human intelligence, trying to replicate how people acquire and use knowledge.
This could be trying to anticipate what product an online shopper might buy, based on previous purchases, in order to recommend items.
The technology is also behind voice-controlled virtual assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa, and is being used to develop systems for self-driving cars.
AI also helps social platforms like Facebook, TikTok and X decide what posts to show users. Streaming services Spotify and Deezer use AI to suggest music.
There are also a number of applications in medicine, as scientists use AI to help spot cancers, review X-ray results, speed up diagnoses and identify new treatments.
