Pause for a moment and think about when you might have encountered Technology that is designed to do tasks that usually need human thinking, like finding patterns in huge amounts of information – it is used on your phone, for example in predictive texting or in online shopping for making suggestions. (AI) recently. The truth is, you’ve probably already used an AI system today without even knowing it. AI technology is now in everyday things from the apps on our phones to the websites we use for shopping and banking. Let’s have a think about where you might have already used it.
Artificial Intelligence in Everyday Life: You’ve probably already used AI today
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence is about making machines ‘smart’ enough to do things that normally need a human mind – like understanding language, spotting patterns, making decisions and solving problems. AI ‘learns’ as it goes. A task that might take a person several hours, AI can often do in seconds.
AI doesn’t think or feel the way a person does. It’s a tool that finds patterns in Information like numbers, words or pictures that computers store and use. It's the raw material that AI systems learn from and work with. it has gathered from many different sources. Like any tool, it isn’t perfect and can sometimes get things wrong.
AI in Everyday Life
AI systems work in different ways depending on what their task is. Here are four things AI can do well that you’ve probably already come across:
PREDICT
Did you check the weather forecast before deciding whether to grab an umbrella before heading outdoors? AI can help to make those forecasts more accurate by looking at huge amounts of historical and current online weather information to make predictions.
Have you used a Maps app recently to get somewhere? An App (short for application) is a piece of software you can download and run on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Apps can perform specific tasks, such as checking the weather, shopping online or sending a text. like Google Maps or Apple Maps use AI and up-to-date information from other drivers on the road to predict the travel time and to warn you about traffic, accidents or delays ahead.
When you type a text message on your phone, it may use predictive text to guess what word you’ll type next. That is an example of AI becoming familiar with how you write and suggesting the predictive text.
RECOMMEND
Did you watch something on Netflix or YouTube lately? AI provides recommendations for you, based on what you’ve watched before.
Online shops do the same. Have you ever come across the: “You looked at this – you might also like…” suggestion? In these cases, AI is making recommendations based on what you (or people like you) have bought.
GENERATE
Maybe you’ve had a go at A type of AI (e.g. Chat GPT, Copilot, Gemini) that can generate new text, images, music or even videos, based on what it has learned from existing information. – the newest AI kid on the block. Unlike the other examples above, which work quietly in the background, tools like ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude are the ones you actively interact with. You can ask these tools a question by typing it into the online chat or using the microphone option, and the system will answer by generating a response based on all the information it has been given to learn from.
RANK
Have you ever typed a question into Google? Behind that simple search, AI is ranking thousands of web pages in a split second, deciding which results are most likely to be useful to you and putting them at the top. You may have noticed recently that Google is now offering a short AI-generated summary at the very top of the page. This is Generative AI (see the previous example – GENERATE). That’s increasingly becoming part of everyday search which reminds us that AI is evolving all the time.
A Few Things Worth Keeping in Mind
- AI can present things confidently that turn out to be wrong. Because AI ‘learns’ from existing information, it can sometimes make mistakes or give a one-sided view. This is especially true of Generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, so it’s always important to double-check online information rather than taking the answer at face value.
- AI can make decisions that are hard to question. Under EU law, if an AI system has been involved in an important decision about you, such as a loan application or health recommendation, you have the right to ask for a human to review that decision and to challenge it if you feel it was wrong.
- You have the right to speak to a real person. EU law already requires businesses to keep human contact options available. If you find yourself stuck in a loop with a Also referred to as a bot, a chatbot is a computer programme designed to have conversations with people, either by text or voice, usually to answer questions or provide information. , you are entitled to look for a phone number or email address and use it. A new Digital Fairness Act, expected later in 2026, might go further and give people an explicit right to request a human in these situations.
As you can see, AI is already a part of daily life. Most of the time, the AI system is working quietly in the background. Understanding how it works means you’re better placed to make sense of its decisions – from your bank using it to check a payment, to a website recommending a product and systems in other services you may rely on.
Get Involved
What you have read here is a taste of the Age-Friendly AI initiative’s ‘Introduction to Artificial Intelligence’ training workshop. Throughout 2026, Age-Friendly AI is visiting every county in Ireland, bringing free workshops to public libraries near you. It’s a relaxed, friendly space to ask questions, try Artificial Intelligence out and learn at your own pace — no prior background in AI is needed. Keep an eye on agefriendlyai.ie/events to find out when we’re coming to your area.
A version of this post was included in the July / August issue of SeniorTimes. In the next SeniorTimes issue, we will take a closer look at Generative AI – stay tuned.
