Eye on AI: Generative AI

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- While artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be an illusion to many baby boomers and even millennials, those entering college and even younger are using it on a daily basis. 

For years, we've been putting information on the internet -- large amounts of data being stored for decades. 

"When you digitize it, you put it into a form that's easily accessible," said Jeremy Kedziora, AI professor at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). 

While older generations may still be learning about internet technology, younger generations are tech savvy. Gen Z has incorporated technology in their lives since birth and the way they use it is changing. 

"Think about how often you and I maybe use Google to answer things...then just imagine that every time we're doing that instead we use ChatGPT. So, this is like a huge change in how people access and use information especially younger people," said Kedziora. 

Jeremy Kedziora, an artificial intelligence professor at MSOE, says AI is changing the way Gen Z, especially, accesses information. 

"It makes tasks a lot easier, in my opinion," said a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). "I may use AI to help me generate an idea in my brain and help me build off those tasks."

"Any question, if you ask it something, it'll answer you in the spin of 30 seconds," another student said. 

It's called generative AI. Yes, AI is creating self-driving cars and diagnosing patients in hospitals. However, generative AI is being used to create content and it's gaining popularity where the younger crowds are hanging out. 

ChatGPT can offer ideas for any prompt you give it, like writing a LinkedIn bio or a funny caption about holding a butterfly. TikTok and Instagram even have visual AI features for users. If done right, it can be pretty realistic. 

"I think, in general, the way that Gen Z likes to use it is as a teammate. They use it for brainstorming purposes, and they treat it as a person they're working alongside of, a nonjudgemental person that they can sort of collaborate with and bounce ideas off of before they can take final ownership over what they're doing; edit it and put it into their own voice," said Kedziora. 

Kedziora says based on a recent survey from a large tech company, about 75% of Gen Z are using AI in their everyday life. 

For millennials, it's closer to 30%. 

"I've definitely noticed search results aren't really what I search anymore, it's definitely what the algorithm wants to show me vs. what I type in the search bar most of the time," said a UWM student. "I feel like just a couple of months ago you could easily tell what is AI but now it's getting very hard to distinguish what's real and what's not." 

Could the next generation to come be "generation AI?" 

"My expectation would be that that generation will be completely comfortable with AI from the ground up," Kedziora said.