The previous yr has been an enormous yr for AI, and we right here at ZDNET have been documenting it by means of a number of articles per day, throughout our complete editorial crew. I’ve typically written a few articles every week on one side of AI innovation or one other. It has been actually thrilling and engaging to discover.
However what AI do I really use? That is actually a two-part query. There’s the AI I exploit as a result of I strive every part I can get my fingers on to investigate and deconstruct it for you. Then there’s the AI I exploit to extend my productiveness, shorten my workflow, and save time. These two classes will not be the identical factor.
For instance, whereas I typically check generative AI to create textual content, I by no means use that characteristic for any of my articles. ZDNET doesn’t permit content material generated by AI besides when it is used for example how AI works.
Also, to be honest, I am knowledgeable author, so I do not want AI to assist me craft phrases. That is to not say generative AI for textual content technology is dangerous. It will possibly open doorways for individuals who aren’t practiced in writing, serving to them share data and craft letters, stories, and scripts. It will also be an enormous profit to individuals who battle with a language they are not fluent in or for these with different writing challenges.
However I’ve adopted AI as a part of my productiveness stack, and it has saved me appreciable time. On this article, I will present you 15 methods I used AI in 2024 to extend my productiveness and streamline my workflow. I will additionally finish with a little bit of a wishlist for 2025, waiting for methods AI would possibly show much more useful sooner or later.
Since that is my final article for 2024, please settle for my finest needs for a beautiful vacation season and a very good New 12 months. I will see you on the flip aspect. And now, listed below are 15 methods AI elevated my productiveness in 2024.
1. I used AI to assist me program
I discovered that ChatGPT (and not a lot the opposite chatbots) was very useful when coding a number of the extra rote elements of my tasks. I used AI for widespread data coding (API interfaces, for instance), for writing CSS selectors, for writing common expressions, and to check common expressions, amongst different issues.
I am fairly positive my AI use saved me a couple of month of programming time through the yr.
2. I used AI to elucidate what a block of code does
Numerous trendy programming entails working with code different individuals wrote. So much additionally entails working with code you wrote years in the past and do not recall the main points.
Just a few occasions throughout my coding, I copied a block of code, pasted it into ChatGPT, and requested the AI what the code does. Normally, the AI won’t solely inform you what the code does, it’s going to additionally break down the sections that can assist you dissect it.
3. I used AI to assist me debug code
As I discussed, the AI will inform you what a block of code does. Meaning you possibly can feed an AI a block of code which may not work. I discovered that I might feed code and error messages to ChatGPT, and it could determine what I used to be doing fallacious.
This was such a robust characteristic that I added it to my testing suite. Now, we are able to use it to validate how properly an AI can decide why a block of code is damaged.
4. I used AI to assist me do buyer sentiment evaluation
After doing a reasonably measurable replace to one among my merchandise, I used to be involved about whether or not or not customers favored it or discovered it problematic. I get tech help requests, however not normally sufficient to gauge the sentiment of my person base. However I do seize customers’ causes for uninstalling my product, which provides me an enormous database of English language causes and information fields.
I fed all of that to the AI, and it gave me again attention-grabbing charts and information evaluation with out requiring weeks of programming. In a matter of minutes, I had my reply: customers typically had been happier with the brand new launch. Yay.
5. I used AI to create photos for my albums
One of many largest methods AI provides worth to my workflow is in graphics and video manufacturing. Whereas I have been a reasonably good artistic director, I’m not an illustrator. So, I discovered the flexibility to do text-to-image (and all of the associated graphics options) vastly useful.
Final yr, I used AI to create the album cowl for my EP “Home of the Head.” This yr, I used Midjourney to create the album cowl for my second EP, “Decisions are Voices.”
6. I used AI to fill and repair my pictures
I take a number of pictures, some for myself and a few as illustrations for my many tasks. A few of these pictures enter the digicam completely composed, however most of them have one thing that must be cleaned up — whether or not it’s kind of of muddle within the background, a desk that does not prolong far sufficient, or distractions that take away from the picture.
I have been utilizing Photoshop to scrub up my photos for many years. However when generative fill popped onto the scene, together with a few of Photoshop’s different AI enhancements, together with distraction elimination (for energy strains and such), it helped me save photos which may in any other case have been unusable.
7. I used AI to generate vector graphics
In relation to Adobe merchandise, Photoshop is my each day driver. I exploit Illustrator, however largely to resize and modify photos from clipart libraries I’ve purchased to be used in big PowerPoint shows. I additionally use Illustrator to configure and arrange slicing directions for my Glowforge laser cutter, which handles PDFs fairly properly.
Earlier this yr, Adobe launched a type of generative fill that creates vector-based photos, which you’ll be able to then ungroup and deconstruct into parts which might be straightforward to resize and reuse. Whereas I have never wanted these options for a lot of my workflow, they’re spectacular. I hope to make use of them extra over time.
8. I used AI to generate month-to-month photos for e-commerce
My spouse Denise owns a small e-commerce enterprise for individuals with a selected curiosity in a highly regarded interest. She hosts a really lively Fb group, the place one of many group’s favourite actions is creating month-to-month tasks primarily based on a theme she presents initially of the month.
Every month, I exploit Midjourney to make an image that evokes that theme. I’ve tried DALL-E 3 and Photoshop, however neither does justice to the subject material. However Midjourney largely nails it. So, I exploit Midjourney to create the picture and infrequently deliver the picture into Photoshop to zhush it up. These photos present the inspiration that encourages hobbyists to craft dozens of spectacular new creations every month.
9. I used AI to create transferring masks in video clips
Masking in video is the method of separating one a part of the video from one other. For my movies, the concept is to separate me from the background so I can regulate the colour, brightness, and distinction of my face and physique separate from the background. I’ve additionally used masking to cover the background, changing it with one thing new.
10. I used AI to scrub up crappy audio in my movies
Earlier than I moved to the DJI Mic 2, I used a reasonably costly however shockingly dangerous Bluetooth lavalier mic. Generally, the takes had been good. Different occasions, they had been simply plain horrible. I typically needed to do retakes when it turned clear that the audio in my footage was unusable.
In the future, I accomplished a very harrowing take that would not be redone. Regardless of all my pre-checks, the audio turned out to be painful to take heed to. So I uploaded it to Adobe’s Improve Speech AI instrument, and it labored wonders with my horrible take. I’ve used it just a few extra occasions since then.
11. I used AI to auto-track me whereas filming
When a tv actor or host strikes round on set, there’s normally a digicam operator who follows the movement. Whenever you do your personal YouTube movies, you are just about by yourself. A number of the largest YouTube channels mimic TV set operations, however my channel is simply me, some instruments, and a little bit of barely cranky angle.
I’ve tried monitoring gimbals a bunch of occasions earlier than, nevertheless it wasn’t till I discovered the Hohem iSteady V3 that I had any actual success. Its monitoring is sort of good as a consequence of its on-device AI picture evaluation, and it additionally works with out an app, which is one among my favourite options. I simply flip it on, mount my cellphone, make one of some foolish gestures to inform it what I would like, and it simply works.
12. I used AI for challenge analysis
For instance, I wanted to bend a bit of 1/4-inch thick aluminum 90 levels for one among my tasks. Totally different grades of aluminum are softer or tougher and can both bend simply or require warmth to keep away from cracking.
I came upon the mannequin variety of the aluminum I purchased at my native ironmongery shop and requested ChatGPT for the alloy quantity, which signifies hardness. Then I requested ChatGPT, primarily based on that alloy quantity and the 1/4-inch thickness, whether or not I wanted to warmth the metallic earlier than bending. ChatGPT stated sure, I wanted to warmth it.
13. I used AI to assist me write articles within the toilet
And in mattress. And within the workshop. And whereas making eggs. And on the ironmongery shop. And in a bunch of different locations and circumstances.
With iOS 18, Apple added the flexibility for the Voice Recording app to transcribe voice recordings. I mixed that with my Apple Watch. Now, it doesn’t matter what I am doing, if I’ve some helpful ideas, I can report just a few sentences or paragraphs proper into the Voice Recording app on my cellphone, then later transcribe them and drop them into an article. Since I do a number of fascinated with articles once I’m not in entrance of the keyboard, this can be a wonderful means for me to seize these nuggets and save time.
14. I used AI to assist enhance 3D print high quality
I really used AI with 3D printing in two pretty completely different areas. One was analytics. I had a 3D check print (known as a Benchy) that printed far quicker utilizing directions straight from the manufacturing unit than something I used to be capable of reproduce utilizing normal software program instruments. So I fed the G-code (robotic directions) to ChatGPT and requested it for an evaluation. The conclusion: the manufacturing unit model tweaked sure pace and high quality settings to make it run quicker.
Two of my latest 3D printers additionally declare to make use of AI to assist enhance print high quality and handle jams. I am unable to independently confirm whether or not they’re AI washing or actually utilizing AI of their printer operations. However I can say that each produce nicer prints — with increased ranges of reliability than printers whose distributors do not declare to make use of AI.
15. I used AI to fly my drone
Trendy drones are superb. Again within the day, I had a radio-controlled helicopter, which I crashed. So much. Flying a helicopter is difficult. You don’t have any concept how exhausting it’s till you strive with an RC toy. The talent of actual helicopter pilots flying actual individuals is jaw-dropping.
However drones make that each one appear easy. They’ve built-in AI that understands all of the aerodynamics of lifting an object into the air and making it go the place you need it to go. Yesterday, the truth is, I despatched up my DJI Mavic Professional to get some property footage for laying out a fancy safety digicam grid. After finishing its mission, I simply tapped “Return to Residence.” It dealt with all of the return navigation and landed itself completely and easily proper in entrance of me.
What I would like AI to do for me in 2025…
The top of AI, for me, could be a robotic that may go to the kitchen, brew and put together a cup of espresso, and convey it to me on the sofa. “Alexa, deliver me espresso,” ought to end in an precise cup of espresso, ready precisely as I prefer it. In any other case, what good is it to be dwelling sooner or later?
In any other case, listed below are some issues I would love to do with AI. Notice that the video enhancing gadgets beneath do exist in some purposes, however they are not out there in Last Minimize, which is my enhancing instrument. Different capabilities both do not exist or aren’t ok to assist with my workflow output.
Right here we go. My wishlist.
- I would like to make use of AI to take away pauses and different waste in video clips. This course of could be very time-consuming, and it needs to be doable with a click on of the mouse.
- I would like to make use of AI to scrub up ums and uhs from audio. This is similar concept as above, however for audio takes.
- I would like Last Minimize to supply the identical type of audio restore that Adobe gives in its on-line Improve Speech instrument.
- I would like to make use of AI to generate video clips for music movies and B-roll for YouTube movies. We’re seeing the beginnings of this with OpenAI’s Sora, however I would prefer it as simple and commonplace as text-to-image is now. I would additionally prefer it to provide clips of as much as 30 seconds.
- I would like to make use of AI to truly handle my incoming e-mail and filters. I do not want AI to make my emails sound friendlier. I want it to assist me sift by means of the metric ton of crap I get every day.
- I would like to make use of AI to dimension my 3D fashions. Once I’m designing one thing to suit a real-world half, I spend hours to days taking caliper measurements, translating that right into a 3D design, testing, printing, and redoing it. I would like to have the ability to simply take just a few footage of an object and have the AI absolutely dimension your entire factor so I might then translate that into my challenge.
AI has come a great distance in the previous couple of years, nevertheless it has an enormous future forward as properly. What have you ever used AI for in 2024? What would you like AI to have the ability to do for you subsequent yr? Have you ever used AI as a novelty, or have you ever built-in it into your common workflow? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
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