For anyone with “creative problem-solving” on their resumé, artificial intelligence (AI) just made that particular skill a lot easier. People may simply equate AI with automation like ChatGPT, but the industry is evolving into so much more.

Between AI Girlfriend, online shopping assistants, and educational platforms like Duolingo, AI has transitioned solo one-shot endeavors to helpful assistant tools that work with people instead of replacing them.

Now that the AI game is expanding, people can start to look at AI as a tool rather than an enemy that must be defeated. These programs can help individuals learn and grow by introducing new ways of thinking and using programming to teach something new — whether it’s an unfamiliar language, shopping skills, or grammar and spelling.

Businesses and innovators can tackle challenges with the help of AI-collected and analyzed data. Creative blocks are a common annoyance that almost everyone faces, but AI can help streamline workflow and generate fresh, out-of-the-box ideas. It can also merge technical precision with human integrity to achieve the best of both worlds.

AI Helps Solve Difficult Real-World Problems

There’s only so much that humans can do to process data, notice patterns, and develop efficient and fact-based solutions — and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, AI offers an easy-to-use solution when there just aren’t enough hours in the day or bandwidth to analyze that kind of large-scale data.

While these tools are undoubtedly helpful for businesses, they have the potential to assist industries that change people’s lives. For decades, the healthcare industry has struggled to find medicines and treatments for a host of medical issues. Researchers are putting the work in, but AI models are assisting them in designing new drugs faster by screening for possible molecule interactions. This can get drugs onto the market faster while assisting in predicting side effects for safer final products.

Meanwhile, agriculture has also benefited from AI-driven tools by determining more efficient planting schedules and tackling sustainability issues that can benefit the planet.

Say Goodbye to Tedious Tasks People Dread

If there’s one thing humans excel at, it’s seeing the big picture. Yet many business and industry leaders are often bogged down with tedious tasks that must be completed but prevent them from efficiently maximizing their schedules. AI has been a great asset on that front, taking repetitive tasks off the table so people can focus on what they do best in their respective industries.

AI can help draft and refine content, and designers can use it to generate mockup designs. Programs like Adobe Firefly and video editors use automated tools to help nail a polished result in no time. On top of getting faster results, businesses and individuals alike can spend time experimenting boldly and taking on more complex projects with their new free time and more accurate results.

AI Can Offer Insight for Creating New Products and Ideas

Regardless of the industry, most new ideas require significant trial and error. Now, a good chunk of that is fueled by data already collected, but it’s difficult for people to predict every possible variable when creating something new.

This equates to valuable time spent on failed results. Not only could that time be used to develop and implement an idea or product, but it could also be spent hours, days, or even years developing the next big idea.

AI is excellent at analyzing trends and predicting outcomes that can help fuel innovation and efficiency. Industries like retailers can unpack consumer preferences to help design products that align with ever-changing trends while considering consumer needs and preferences.

This can save ample money in the long run while helping these businesses stock the right amount of products based on the expected demand without having to host constant clearance sales to get rid of the overstock no one is buying.

Even urban planners are joining the trend, using AI to assist with sustainable models that consider environmental priorities while also meeting human needs.

Educational AI and Upskilling

It can be challenging to learn a new language or skill these days. With the constant siren song of phones and social media, attention spans have plummeted. Well, there’s an app for that because there’s an app for just about everything.

For example, platforms like Duolingo and Coursera create lessons based on adaptive learning algorithms that encourage thinking and creative problem-solving. They also use people’s inability to log off of tech devices to help people pick up new skills faster with quick internet-based lessons that address short attention spans.

What’s more? These tools can help professionals take in tutorials and instant feedback to break down complex tasks and alleviate some of the stress that accompanies them.

Is AI Ethical or Harmful?

Like any tool, people will always find ways to stretch the limits of developments like AI and occasionally abuse them. But that doesn’t mean they should be written off completely. If people did that, there would be no inventions or advancements at all. Not everyone is skilled at moderation, but for businesses that are, AI can help bring their creativity to a whole new playing field.

Companies and individuals need to find the right balance between relying on AI versus people-led tasks and projects. It’s integral for people to use AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human oversight. Not only is that necessary to keep the job market alive, but society still needs human-led progress lest everyone lose individuality, which is what makes humans, well, human.

With the capability of redefining creativity and problem-solving, AI is opening a whole new world of possibilities that were once deemed impossible. Through this, AI can help transform industries and bring them into the future.

Everyone must remember, however, that AI is a valuable partner and not a complete replacement for humankind. As AI continues to evolve and change, it will have a bigger impact on everyone’s lives. Society must learn to keep up with the changes in order to reap the benefits and not fall victim to the downfalls.