LLMs will transform medicine, media and more
But not without a helping (human) hand
![A toolbox filled with regular tools and speech bubbles.](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240817_ABD001_FH.jpg)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be described as the art of getting computers to do things that seem smart to humans. In this sense it is already pervasive. Satnav software uses search algorithms to find the quickest route from your house to that new restaurant; airplanes land themselves; traffic cameras use optical character recognition to identify the letters on the number plate of a speeding car; thermostats adjust their temperature settings based on who is at home. This is all AI, even if it is not marketed as such. When AI works consistently and reliably, runs an old joke, it is just called engineering. (Conversely AI, goes another joke, is the stuff that does not quite work yet.)
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This article appeared in the Schools brief section of the print edition under the headline “Oh, the things AI can do”
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