You. Me. Everyone. We’re Living with AI Now
- Chris Howell
- May 12
- 7 min read
Updated: May 17
You wake up, rub the sleep from your eyes, and reach for your phone. Before you've even had your first sip of coffee, artificial intelligence has already played a part in your morning – and you probably didn’t even realise it.
AI isn't just something for tech companies, Silicon Valley startups, or sci-fi films. It's in your pocket, your home, your car – and increasingly, your workplace and social life. If you’ve ever thought, "AI doesn’t affect me," this blog might change your mind.
Let’s take a look at how AI is shaping the world around you – sometimes visibly, sometimes silently – in ways big and small.
Morning: Your AI Alarm Clock, News and Commute
Smartphone Assistants: Did you ask Siri or Google Assistant about the weather? That’s natural language processing at work – an AI skill that lets machines understand and respond in plain English. Even that cheerful voice giving you motivational quotes is powered by AI.
Spotify Playlists & Morning News: Your “Daily Mix” or curated podcast feed is shaped by machine learning models that analyse your past listens, preferences, and even the time of day. These platforms know when you’re likely to listen to a slow track versus an energising one.
Supply Chain Support: Even before your alarm went off, AI was at work behind the scenes. Overnight logistics systems used AI to predict demand and coordinate deliveries, helping to restock your local shop with your favourite coffee, breakfast cereal, or milk. It's part of a global network that runs 24/7 to make sure your mornings run smoothly.
Google Maps or Waze: Heading into the office? That live traffic routing is powered by AI models trained on real-time data from thousands of other road users. It knows the fastest way better than you do, adapting dynamically if congestion appears.
Face Unlock & Smart Notifications: Many smartphones use AI to recognise your face in a fraction of a second, adjusting to lighting conditions, angles, and even the changes that come with age. Your notifications are sorted and prioritised based on patterns of what you usually engage with.
Smart Kitchen Appliances: That coffee machine or smart fridge that reminds you you're low on milk? AI is behind it. Even your toaster might have sensors powered by a basic AI chip to perfect your morning slice.
At Work: AI at the Heart of Modern Business
Whether you work in finance, retail, education, healthcare, manufacturing, or admin support, AI is probably working quietly behind the scenes.
Email & Calendar: Gmail uses AI to suggest replies and auto-complete sentences, helping users write emails faster and with fewer errors. Outlook includes AI tools like spam detection, meeting insights, and, in some Microsoft 365 environments, Copilot for scheduling and drafting. Both platforms are embedding more AI features to improve communication and productivity.
Customer Service: Chatbots on company websites use AI to triage queries and help customers. They can handle hundreds of requests simultaneously, freeing up human staff to focus on more complex issues.
HR and Recruitment: If you've applied for a job recently, your CV may have been screened by an AI tool before a human ever saw it. Some AI tools go further and use your application behaviour – like how long you took to fill out a form – to assess engagement.
Spreadsheets & Data Analysis: Tools like Excel and Google Sheets now offer AI-driven suggestions, like detecting patterns in data, predicting values, or even generating reports from raw numbers.
Productivity Tools: Applications like Notion, Trello, or Slack use AI to summarise documents, suggest tasks, or even write updates. What used to take an hour now takes a minute – and it can improve over time as it learns your style.
Virtual Meetings: AI features in Zoom and Teams can now remove background noise, transcribe meetings, generate summaries, detect who is speaking, and even translate in real time.
Cybersecurity & IT: Many organisations use AI to detect and respond to threats. From phishing attacks to unusual login activity, AI helps keep company data and infrastructure safe.
After Work: AI in Your Living Room
Netflix & Amazon Prime: Ever notice how eerily accurate their suggestions are? AI analyses your watch history, ratings, search behaviour, and even how long you hover over a thumbnail. It's constantly learning your preferences.
Online Shopping: From product recommendations on Amazon to those suspiciously well-timed Instagram ads, it’s all powered by algorithms trained to know what people like you want – often before you do.
Smart Devices: If your thermostat learns your habits, your smart speaker recognises your voice, or your doorbell can spot a stranger – congratulations, you’ve invited AI into your home. Some systems can even differentiate between household members and guests.
AI-Enhanced TV Interfaces: Modern TVs use AI to adjust brightness and sound based on the room environment, recognise scenes to optimise contrast, and offer voice search tailored to your viewing patterns.
Gaming: Whether you're on your console, PC, or mobile, AI influences game design, difficulty adjustments, and even the behaviour of in-game characters to make your experience more immersive. For PC gamers using modern graphics cards, AI is also used for features like image upscaling (e.g., NVIDIA's DLSS or AMD's FSR). This allows games to run at higher frame rates without sacrificing visual quality – a performance boost powered by smart prediction and enhancement models.
Weekend Errands? Yep, AI’s There Too.
Banking Apps: Many now use AI to spot fraud in real time. Some have AI-powered chatbots to answer customer questions, while others use AI to assess your financial health and offer savings tips.
Retail Offers & Supermarket Trips: Loyalty cards and apps don’t just save you money – they gather data. AI analyses your habits to suggest deals, send reminders when you’re running low on something, or offer coupons right before your next shop.
Fitness Apps & Wearables: AI tracks your movement, sleep patterns, heart rate, and activity goals. It helps you train smarter, not just harder. Apps like Whoop, Fitbit, and Apple Health use AI to adjust your recommended goals based on past performance and recovery data.
Voice-Driven Shopping Lists: Ask Alexa or Google Assistant to add milk to your list, and it does. Over time, it might even remind you about eggs or predict your next purchase based on your routine.
Navigation: Whether it's Google Maps, Citymapper, or your car's sat-nav, AI is constantly recalculating your route to save time, suggest stops, or even find a petrol station before you realise you need one.
Social Life: AI Behind the Scenes
At the Cinema: That blockbuster film you’re watching? AI helped bring it to life. From CGI effects and animation to camera tracking and facial replacement, AI is used extensively in post-production to make scenes more realistic and immersive. Some trailers are even edited using AI to test which scenes get the best emotional response.
On Social Media: Your newsfeed, your ads, your friend suggestions – all curated by algorithms. AI determines what you see and in what order, learning what holds your attention most. It can also moderate content, suggest hashtags, and flag harmful posts.
In the Gym: Some gym equipment now includes AI-powered coaching. Treadmills or bikes can adjust intensity based on your performance. Fitness apps like Freeletics or Fitbod use AI to build and adapt personalised workout plans. More advanced machines use sensors to track your posture and offer feedback in real time.
Event Recommendations: Platforms like Facebook, Eventbrite, and Google can suggest local events, concerts, classes, or networking meetups tailored to your interests and location – another quiet use of AI to connect you socially and professionally.
Photo Management: Your phone’s gallery app likely uses AI to group people, recognise locations, create highlight reels, and allow you to search for "dog" or "beach" with eerie precision.
The Bigger Picture: How AI Powers Society Around You
While AI helps you get through your own day, it's also working behind the scenes in ways you may never notice – supporting the systems and services your community relies on. Here are some examples:
Healthcare: AI That Saves Lives
Medical Imaging: AI helps radiologists detect abnormalities in X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans faster and often more accurately. It can flag signs of cancer, fractures, or strokes that may be missed by the human eye.
Early Diagnosis: Machine learning algorithms are being trained to detect early signs of diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes, or even Parkinson’s based on subtle patterns in medical records or behaviour.
Personalised Medicine: AI analyses your genetics, lifestyle, and history to suggest more tailored treatments or medications. This can improve outcomes and reduce side effects.
Virtual Health Assistants: Apps like Babylon or Ada use AI to help patients understand symptoms, suggest next steps, or direct them to the right care. These assistants can handle thousands of interactions at once.
Hospital Operations: From optimising bed usage to predicting patient discharge times, AI is streamlining behind-the-scenes logistics to help hospitals run more efficiently.
Infrastructure: AI Behind the Systems That Keep Society Moving
Traffic Control: Many cities now use AI-powered traffic systems to monitor congestion and adjust traffic lights in real-time. This helps reduce delays and emissions, making commutes smoother.
Energy Management: AI helps balance supply and demand in power grids, forecast renewable energy output, and even predict maintenance for wind turbines or solar farms. This keeps energy more affordable and sustainable.
Telecommunications: AI optimises network performance, predicts outages, and helps telecom providers deliver smoother mobile and broadband services. It can also help identify issues before they impact customers.
Smart Cities: From intelligent lighting to waste management and air quality monitoring, AI is a key player in the development of smart city infrastructure – creating safer, cleaner, and more efficient urban environments.
Disaster Response: During floods, fires, or earthquakes, AI can analyse satellite imagery and sensor data to guide emergency responses and prioritise areas most in need of help.
Logistics: AI That Keeps the Supply Chain Running
Warehouse Automation: AI powers robots and automated systems in warehouses, helping sort, pick, and pack items with speed and accuracy. This reduces delivery times and increases efficiency.
Demand Forecasting: Retailers and manufacturers use AI to predict customer demand weeks or even months in advance. This ensures that shelves stay stocked, and popular items don't run out unexpectedly.
Route Optimisation: Delivery companies use AI to find the most efficient routes, cutting down on fuel usage and ensuring faster deliveries. Whether it's a parcel or a pallet, AI is calculating how to get it there quickest.
Inventory Management: AI helps businesses track stock levels in real-time, automatically reorder supplies, and prevent overstock or waste. This is especially important in industries like food and medicine.
Global Logistics: From container ports to air freight networks, AI helps monitor shipments across the world, flag delays, and reroute goods if needed. It keeps the global supply chain moving — so you can get your groceries, gadgets, or gifts on time.
It’s an AI World – So How Will You Use It?
It was created by humans. Learns from humans. And benefits humans.
So how can it benefit you more?
Mercia AI can show you the possibilities.
