Surfing The Tsunami - Chapter 6

 Throughout the book, Dr. Kelsey has written about the different levels of AI.  He explains they are adapt, adopt, and adept.  These are likened to good, better, best.  To adapt to AI, one must learn the basics of artificial intelligence and keep abreast of the industry and the direction it is going.  To adopt AI, one must start utilizing AI as a tool in their day to day life.  To be adept in AI, one must begin working with AI through coding and data.  

AI algorithms are all around us and we must learn to at least be aware of them and how they impact our day to day lives.  The first is a basic google search.  When searching for something like clothing, the google algorithm crawls the internet searching for what it thinks is the best fit for clothing and presents us with results.  Websites will identify themselves as having clothes through what is called tagging.  Amazon would do the same thing given the search and would prompt us with clothing results that are based on our search history.  The algorithms will even use our previous shopping trends to assist in the search.  The more we shop the more the algorithm learns.

To really dive into the deep end of AI, someone must start learning to code.  As a parent of 3 kids, I have found the first Lego league (FLL) to be a great encourager for children to get into STEM and basic coding practices.  My oldest daughter has competed in FLL for many years.  To give some background, teams of children are given a scenario they must research and solve.  Once they come up with a solution, they present it to judges and program a Lego robot to perform specific tasks.  For each task that is completed during competition, points are awarded.  The FLL has really helped change her mind from wanting to become a marine biologist to pursuing a career in engineering.  There are many other resources someone can use to learn basic coding.  Kahn academy, Coursera, and even YouTube are great places to start.