What is AI? Where is AI now? Where is AI going?
A weekly conversation for those who have lived enough history to recognize when they are standing in the middle of it.
AI is already in your doctor's office, your retirement account and your grandchildren's classrooms. Every Monday, we explain what's happening in plain English, without the hype and without the doom.
You've been here before.
In the mid-1970s, our founder, Jack Heslin, watched his mother use a calculator for the first time. Until then, it had always been the adding machine. She was a little uncomfortable with it at first. It was a machine doing something she'd always done herself. But she was very bright, and once she saw what it was doing, the discomfort didn't last.
Artificial intelligence is that moment again, only much bigger. It isn't just adding numbers. It's already helping make decisions in your doctor's office, your retirement account, your grandchildren's classrooms and your town hall.
Most of us will feel some of that same unease. That's normal. And just like Jack's mother, you're more than capable of understanding it. You don't need to become a tech expert. You need someone to explain it plainly. That's what we do.
Three questions we will always try to answer for you.
What is AI?
How it works, in plain English. Why it gets things right most of the time, and why it can sound just as sure when it's wrong.
Where is AI now?
What's actually happening this week in healthcare, personal finance, education, government and more.
Where is AI going?
What's coming and what it means for you, clearly labeled as forecasts and shown from more than one side.
This isn't happening somewhere else.
A few examples from recent issues:
Your health
Utah approved AI pilots that prescribe acne creams and renew prescriptions for chronic conditions, with doctors reviewing every prescription at first.
Your money
Big tech's borrowing to build AI is helping push interest rates up, and that touches the bonds in your retirement account.
Your grandchildren
The University of Maryland tested its own AI tutor and found grades went slightly down, not up. It paused the rollout.
Your government
An AI tool now helps manage air traffic at Reagan, Dulles and BWI. The controllers' union says it had no role in testing it.
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About Jack Heslin
For more than 30 years, Jack has helped people adopt new technology: telecom, the cloud, 3D printing, and now AI. Every wave taught him the same lesson. The people who understand a technology early get a say in how it's used.
He started theAIconversation because he believes this is a seminal moment in history (see our Why This Matters page). We should all be aware of what's coming so we can be proactive about how this technology gets deployed in society.
What subscribers get every Monday
- A video from our founder, Jack Heslin, on the week's AI news.
- The stories that matter most, each explained in a short paragraph, with links to read more.
- Topics that touch your life: Healthcare, Personal Finance, Education, Government and more.
- Answers to your own questions about AI.
- Bonus: our guide, 5 AI Scams Targeting Seniors.
We won't tell you what to think about AI. But we will keep you informed about it. Then you decide.