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I mentioned last issue that we were going to dig into how AI can help you learn something new. And we will, that one is still coming. But AI has been absolutely everywhere in the news lately, and I kept finding myself wanting to step back and give you a bit of context before we moved on. So we are making a small detour this week. Think of it as the "wait, how did we get here?" issue.
Because here is something I think is worth talking about. There is a good chance you have been using AI for years without anyone ever telling you that is what it was.
We have covered a lot of ground together over eleven issues. Prompting. Email writing. Social media. Claude. ChatGPT. Image creation. Canadian privacy law. Today I want to zoom out a little and show you the bigger picture.
It has been here longer than you think
When most people hear the word AI, they picture ChatGPT, or a robot, or something that feels futuristic and a little intimidating. But AI has been quietly woven into the tools Canadians use every single day for years. You just were not told it was there.
Here are five places you have almost certainly already encountered it.
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1. Your email inbox Gmail and Outlook both use AI to decide what goes into your spam folder and what lands in your inbox. That filter that keeps the Nigerian prince emails out of your life? AI. The little "Smart Reply" suggestions that pop up when you open a message, the ones that say things like "Sounds good!" or "Happy to help"? Also AI. If you use Gmail, there is also a feature called Summarize that can condense a long email thread into a few sentences. If you have not tried it, look for the small summarize option at the top of a long thread. It saves a surprising amount of time. |
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2. Your phone keyboard The word suggestions that appear above your keyboard as you type? That is a predictive AI model that has been learning from how you write. The autocorrect that changes "ducking" back to something more printable? Same thing. It is not perfect, as anyone who has sent an embarrassing text can confirm, but it is AI all the same. On iPhones, you can also hold down the microphone button and just speak your message out loud. That transcription feature is powered by AI voice recognition and it has gotten remarkably accurate, even with Canadian accents and regional expressions. |
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3. Google Maps and Apple Maps When Google Maps reroutes you around a slowdown on the Perimeter Highway before you even get there, that is AI analyzing real-time traffic data from thousands of other drivers and predicting where things are going to back up. When it tells you the drive to your daughter's place in Kelowna will take 4 hours and 20 minutes, it is not guessing. It is calculating based on current conditions, historical patterns, and what similar trips have looked like at this time of day. You have been trusting AI with your commute for years. It has mostly kept you out of traffic jams. Not bad. |
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4. Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube Every recommendation you see on these platforms is generated by an AI model that is tracking what you watch, what you skip, how long you stay, and what people with similar tastes tend to enjoy. When Netflix suggests a show that turns out to be exactly your thing, that is not a coincidence. When Spotify builds you a Discover Weekly playlist that somehow nails your mood on a Monday morning, same story. You have been letting AI curate your entertainment for years. Most of the time, it does a pretty decent job. |
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5. Your bank Every major Canadian bank uses AI to monitor your transactions in real time and flag anything that looks out of the ordinary. If your card suddenly gets used at a gas station in another province right after a purchase in Winnipeg, AI is the thing that catches it and triggers the fraud alert. It is also what powers the chatbots on bank websites, the ones that can answer basic account questions without putting you on hold for forty-five minutes. You have been trusting AI with your money for years too. It is not flawless, but it has stopped a lot of fraud that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. |
Now here is the difference
All of those examples have something in common. The AI is working in the background, making decisions on your behalf, without you directing it or even knowing it is there.
What we have been talking about in AI, Eh? for the past eleven issues is something different. It is AI you talk to on purpose. AI where you are in the driver's seat, telling it what you need, reviewing what it gives you, and deciding what to do with it.
That is a meaningful distinction. And it is worth making intentional use of the tools that already have AI built in, because a lot of Canadians are paying for features they have never touched.
Three things you can try right now, in tools you already use
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In Gmail: summarize a long email thread Open a long email thread, one of those back-and-forth chains with ten replies from three different people. At the top of the thread, look for a "Summarize this email" option. Click it. Gmail will use AI to pull out the key points in a few sentences. If you want to go further, you can also open Google Gemini (gemini.google.com) and connect it to your Gmail. Then try this: Fill in the blank prompt:
Ready to use example:
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In Microsoft Word or Outlook: use Copilot to draft something If your workplace or home computer runs Microsoft 365, there is a good chance Copilot is already sitting there in your toolbar waiting to be used. In Outlook, you can ask it to draft a reply. In Word, you can ask it to write a first draft of something based on a few bullet points you give it. Look for the Copilot icon, it looks like a small sparkle or the Microsoft Copilot logo, in your ribbon at the top of Word or Outlook. Click it and try this: Fill in the blank prompt:
Ready to use example:
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On your iPhone or Android: use your voice instead of your keyboard This one requires zero new apps and zero new accounts. Just your phone. Next time you need to send a text or write a note, try holding down the microphone icon on your keyboard and speaking instead of typing. The AI voice recognition will transcribe what you say. If you want to take it a step further, try asking Siri or Google Assistant something you would normally Google. Not a search query, an actual question in plain English. You might be surprised how useful the answers have gotten. Fill in the blank prompt:
Ready to use example:
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Your challenge this week
Pick one of the three prompts above and try it today. Not tomorrow, today. You already have the tools. You are just going to use one of them on purpose for the first time. That is it. That is the whole challenge.
Coming up next issue
We are getting back to what I promised last issue. How AI can help you learn something new. Whether it is picking up a skill, finally understanding something that has always confused you, or getting a straight answer on something you were too embarrassed to Google. That one is up next, and it is a good one.
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AI assisted, Human led. Whatever AI produces for you, always read it, verify it, and make it sound like you. AI is an incredible first draft machine. Your judgment, your voice, and your values are always the final layer. |
As always, I read every reply personally. Which of these did you already know about, and which one surprised you? Hit reply and let me know. I love hearing from people.
If you found this useful, pass it along to someone who has been telling you they are not a tech person. This issue was written for exactly them.
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Talk soon,
Chris
Founder, AI, Eh?
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