Seven friendly AI hacks to make housekeeping a breeze
As a writer, I have an innate fear and loathing of artificial intelligence. I’m always being told that computer wizardry will one day render my job redundant, but this week, the Government announced plans to use AI to rejuvenate public services and it got me wondering – should I be embracing the AI that’s creeping into so many areas of my life rather than mistrusting and resenting it?
Artificial intelligence is the increasingly sophisticated computer technology that equips machines with the ability to mimic human intelligence, learning from examples and data to improve performance over time.
On the one hand, it’s scary. My friend’s brilliant career as a German translator came to an abrupt end recently because the AI has got so good it can translate nuance and dialect better (certainly more quickly and cheaply) than he can.
But AI is also very clever at automating mundane and repetitive tasks, analysing vast amounts of data much faster than humans can and identifying patterns and trends that might otherwise be missed. This is clearly invaluable in fields such as finance, healthcare and scientific research. But organising my home, family and work life also involves an inordinate quantity of mundane and repetitive tasks. So, am I crazy not to be experimenting with a bit of AI myself?
The answer, according to Isaac Woods, a technical consultant with a big London consultancy firm that specialises in AI, is yes. ‘Use it wisely and AI really can make your life easier, save you time and effort, so you can spend more time doing the things you enjoy instead,’ he says
Vacuuming
Isaac’s favourite example is the robot vacuum cleaner. These use advanced algorithms to create detailed maps of your home, while cameras and sensors scan the environment and detect obstacles, continuously updating a map.
‘The next generation will even have a robotic arm which can reach out to pick up a discarded sock and put it on the side,’ he says with evident tech relish.
At around £200, they’re much more expensive than your average vacuum, but can you put a price on the convenience of having a diligent machine slave doing the housework for you?
Lawn mowing
For around £600, you get the same AI principles in a robotic lawn mower. Here, AI works out which parts of the lawn need mowing and how to navigate fallen twigs and garden gnomes. It also equips the machine with the ability to establish when its charge is getting just low enough for it to find its way back to the docking station for a top up.
Tackling the laundry
There are washing machines and dryers on the market that use AI to detect and monitor the weight and softness of the fabric, thus optimising water and detergent quantities and soaking, rinsing and spinning times.
Cutting food waste
You can buy fridges with AI sensors to monitor food freshness and issue alerts (‘time to clear out that yoghurt!) But will all these products really deliver on their promises to save me time, money and mental load? Isaac warns me not to be too seduced by ‘AI washing’, which is a bit like the over-enthusiastic ‘greenwashing’ manufacturers use to boost sales.
Tackling your inbox
While I’m busy compiling my new tech wish list, he tells me the latest iPhones now incorporate their version of AI (‘Apple Intelligence’) which, if requested, will take a quick look at your burgeoning email inbox and provide a summary (four SPAM, two from colleagues, one from the doctor…). That sounds VERY handy.
Cutting homework corners
If I don’t actually want to spend any money, he tells me Chatgpt (which stands for ‘generative pre-trained transformer’) would be a useful AI-charged search engine for me to use and he nudges me towards Google’s version, called Gemini, which works in a similar way. Both are free as long as you don’t bombard them with requests (he says the monthly subscription for a premium version gives you access to even more sophisticated AI technology).
I write a rambling request into the ChatGPT search engine, asking it for a summary of the book I haven’t got around to reading for book club. The instant report makes the book (Butter, by Asako Yuzuki) sound so fascinating and I’m sad I haven’t actually read it, adding cheekily ‘these points will make you sound well prepared!’.
‘You have to be careful,’ warns Isaac, ‘Think of these AI search engines as an over-enthusiastic friend with incomplete knowledge – yes, they are smart, but there are glitches in the system and they can often deliver something factually incorrect, but with great conviction. It’s wise to sense check everything they suggest.’
I show him an interesting online article I found about using AI in the home and he snorts: ‘That article, and the picture illustrating it, have both clearly been created by AI.’
I’d never had noticed, but now I can see the flamboyant use of the word ‘housewife’ is oddly jarring. There have been concerns expressed about school children leaning too heavily on AI to do their homework for them and exam boards now use sophisticated filters to screen out misuse.
However, mum friends with younger children tell me AI is brilliant at helping them support their children with complex maths problems or printing out individually themed drawings for them to colour in and offering creative inspiration for children’s parties without having to trawl through pages of online suggestions.
Meal and holiday planning
Isaac says I should use ChatGPT for holiday inspiration (‘just tell it what budget you’re working to, the time of year and a few things you like,’ he advises) or packing tips (‘you might not want to follow the advice too closely, but it will ensure you don’t forget any essentials’) .
When I ask ChapGPT if it can help me plan and schedule family activities, it apologises that it can’t actually link to my calendar but offers to provide prompts that I can cut and paste. It also refers me to a free app (Cozi), which enables me to link everyone’s schedules and appointments and issue alerts and reminders. I’d never have known about that otherwise.
It is equally helpful with an ‘in a nutshell’ explanation of the current situation in Gaza, the offside rule (I told you it was clever), and a selection of five healthy low-carb dinner recipes with cooking tips and accompanying shopping list. It would never have occurred to me to whip up a chicken Caesar salad – this is genius!
“What about the leftover vegetables from Sunday lunch?” I prompt, “got any clever ideas?” and before I have picked up my cup of tea for a sip, it has spewed out a rather delicious looking recipe for vegetable frittata. ‘Sorry, I forgot to tell you we’re vegan,’ I throw in as a mischievous swerve ball. ‘No problem!’ it says. Quick as a flash, it presents me with a version using chickpea flour as a base instead of eggs.
AI, my new best friend. How have I survived this long without you?
You Might Also Like
