You’ve probably heard of Alexa and Siri. If not, you’ll probably know them as the female voice assistant du jour. Either way, most people have found their way to these virtual assistants because companies like Amazon and Apple know how powerful and influential their AI can be.
While most people use voice assistants to find information, play music, and control devices, there is another way they can help you. That is by taking the place of your regular assistant and providing free, personalized advice on any topic you could possibly think of.
If you’ve ever tried to find information on your smartphone using Google or Apple’s own respective search engines, you’ll know what I mean. Even after you’ve typed in your search terms, the search engine might not be able to find exactly what you’re looking for. That’s where an AI assistant steps in and gives you a better chance of finding what you want.
This article is going to introduce you to a topic called AI (Artificial Intelligence) and shine the light on how you can get started training your own AI assistant. Before we begin, though, let’s take a quick look back at what we’ve covered so far in this series.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence is the science of making computers think and act like humans. Basically, it is a form of technology that enables computers to perform tasks that would normally require a person. It is a broad term and can cover many different areas.
For example, image recognition technologies like DeepLearning and Caffe are forms of AI that can be used to identify objects and scenes in images, such as faces, license plates, or birds in flight. These tasks, which would normally take a person a long time to accomplish, can now be done by computer very quickly.
As previously stated, AI can be very useful and is gaining popularity day by day. Whether you’re searching for the nearest pizza parlor or seeking information on how to bake a pie, you can be certain that a computer can provide the answer pretty quickly.
Why Should You Try To Train Your Own Artificial Intelligence Assistant?
If you’ve been following this series so far, you’ll know that I’ve become rather enamored with AI and its potential to reshape our everyday lives. That being said, there are many reasons why you might want to try to train your own AI assistant. Here are just a few.
1. Customize It
As I’ve mentioned several times in this series, AI can be quite a versatile technology. This means that you can use it in a variety of ways to improve your life. For example, you can use AI to help you find the best prices or discounts for the products and services you need. Or, you might want to use AI to track your personal finances or business accounts. Essentially, you can train your AI to help you make better decisions throughout your entire day. This is important because you never know what task will pop up next that needs to be done. Having software that you can customize and shape to your preferences means you can always find it at your fingertips when you need it.
2. Get Inspired
As a creative person, you may have found yourself inspired in the past by a unique voice or the way a particular piece of music makes you feel. You can now bring that creative energy into your own personal life by training your AI with stories or lyrics from your favorite bands or artists.
For example, let’s say you love the Foo Fighters. Well, you can use that love and get inspired by what the band has to say about life and creativity. To that end, you might want to train your AI assistant to give you advice on career decisions or offer help with writing lyrics or stories. All of a sudden, your AI will be acting as a virtual assistant, helping you put your creative energies into actions and getting you results you actually want.
3. Have Confidence In It
With a regular assistant, you have to trust that they will do their best to provide useful information and make smart decisions on your behalf. However, when you’re trying to train your own AI, you’re giving it the responsibility of helping you make decisions. That means you have to have confidence that it will do exactly what you want it to do without any unnecessary errors.
If you’ve ever downloaded a voice assistant app to your phone, you know how important it is to have confidence in the software you’re using. Luckily, with AI being such a new and rapidly evolving field, there are many options when it comes to which AI assistant to choose. This makes it easier for you to have confidence in your decision.
The Next Step
Now that you have an idea of what AI is and why you might want to try to train your own AI assistant, it’s time to figure out how to get started. In the next section, we will discuss the different ways you can train your AI using both Apple’s iMessage and Google’s G Suite. Let’s get started.
Apple’s iMessage
As the name would suggest, Apple’s iMessage is one of the popular ways people train their AIs. It is also one of the simplest and most straightforward methods of getting started. Once you have iMessage on your phone, you simply have to open up the app and follow the simple steps. Once your phone detects that you’ve setup an AI account within iMessage, your phone will ask you to train it to understand your language. As a voice of authority, you simply have to speak to your AI assistant in a calm and confident manner. Speak clearly and slowly, and train your assistant to respond appropriately.
Once you’ve completed that initial training period, you can send your AI questions via iMessage. The app will listen for the specified keywords and respond with the requested information. For example, if you ask your AI assistant about what CDs to buy, it might say that John Legend’s “All Of Me” is a great choice because it’s touching on both your favorite topics, love and career. You can even test out different scenarios and see how your AI responds under varying circumstances. That way, you can tailor it to fit your exact needs.
Google’s G Suite
If you’re looking for a more advanced, hands-on method of training your AI, you can try out Google’s G Suite. This is a free service that allows you to create email templates, store documents, and even build applications for mobile phones or tablets. What’s more is you don’t have to be tech-savvy to use it. G Suite comes with a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for anyone to get started. Simply select the topics you’re interested in learning about and begin dropping fields to build a database of knowledge.
While it’s a bit more advanced, G Suite also provides you with a wealth of information on how to train your AI. To start, you just have to click on the icon that looks like a paperclip in the top right corner of your screen. This will bring you to the Google Help Center. From there, you can access information on how to train your AI and use it effectively. Additionally, you can even read real-life examples of how people are successfully using AI in their everyday lives.
Where Can I Go From Here?
With Apple’s iMessage and Google’s G Suite providing you with multiple options for training your AI, you can rest assured that you’re making the right choice for your needs. However, if you’ve decided that you want to go the extra mile and develop your own AI that can truly understand and act on your behalf, take some time to explore the many different ways you can achieve this goal. Additionally, be sure to look into the various costs and considerations that come with developing a private AI.