Surprising Ways AI Can Be Helpful—and When Not to Trust It

Artificial intelligence (AI) may sound like out-of-reach sci-fi, but chances are you're already using it more than you realize. From the voice assistant that sets your kitchen timer to the app that alerts you about traffic delays, AI has quietly woven itself into our daily routines. You may have also heard of ChatGPT or similar tools that can write and answer questions. Those are AI, too.

How AI works

"AI is like a super-helpful assistant that's trained to recognize patterns," says Dr. Christina Inge, an AI instructor at Harvard University. "It 'learns' by looking at a lot of examples—just like people do."

Inge uses cats and dogs as an example: If you show AI enough pictures of both animals, it eventually learns to tell the difference. "It's not magic or mind-reading,” she explains. “It's just really good at spotting patterns and guessing what you might need next." 

This same process applies to conversational AI tools. They've been trained on large amounts of text to recognize patterns in how people communicate, allowing them to generate responses and hold conversations.

According to Inge, Google Maps uses AI to analyze real-time traffic data, such as how fast people's phones are moving. Combined with historical traffic patterns, the app can predict the best route for you to get home.

Voice assistants work by listening to your voice and comparing it to thousands of voice recordings to figure out what you're likely asking, Inge explains. Smart doorbells, she adds, are trained on thousands of video clips so that they can spot a person versus a dog or a tree. 

"It's all about recognizing patterns based on what the AI has seen before—and trying to match that to your current situation," Inge says.

How AI can be helpful around the house

AI can be surprisingly handy around the house. Voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant can play music, turn off your lights, or set a timer while your hands are busy cooking dinner.

Smart security systems and doorbells offer another practical application. Inge explains that these systems use AI to determine whether it's a package delivery or just the neighbor's cat.

"Just like it learns the difference between cats and dogs, it learns what's worth alerting you about so you're not getting constant notifications," she says.

Another benefit of AI is the scam protection tools on phones and email platforms. Inge explains that they’ve seen so many examples of real versus fake messages that they can often spot a scam before you do.

How AI can be helpful at work

The same pattern recognition that helps AI sort your photos can streamline workplace tasks. Just as AI learns to distinguish cats from dogs by studying thousands of images, these tools have analyzed countless examples of good writing to help you communicate more effectively. AI writing assistants can help compose professional emails, summarize long documents, or even suggest improvements to presentations and proposals.

Limitations of AI

While AI can be helpful, Inge cautions that it’s far from perfect and can easily get things wrong. When it doesn’t know the answer, it may “hallucinate” information, confidently presenting incorrect or misleading responses. 

“An AI chatbot might confidently give you the wrong address, misstate a fact, or misunderstand what you were really asking,” Inge explains. “It doesn't know truth—it just predicts what 'sounds' right based on patterns.” 

She adds that AI lacks true understanding and context. “Just like how it can mix up a fluffy cat with a small dog when it's not sure, AI can mix up meaning when you're asking a nuanced question,” Inge says. “This is why it's not great for medical, legal, or emergency advice."

Ultimately, Inge says AI can be a powerful assistant—but it still needs human oversight. Always double-check anything important, she says, and never rely on AI alone.

So, while there are limits, understanding how AI can be helpful—and when it can’t—puts you in a better position to use it wisely.