Image source: Generated by Unbounded AI

That was a photo in Moments that made me stop.

On the left is the common fetal photo from the B-transformation. Only the facial features can be vaguely seen, and the rest is very blurry. The AI-generated photo on the right is like taking a real photo of the baby with a camera. The facial features are clear and three-dimensional, and even the hair is clearly visible.

Picture: Baby photo generated by AI based on B-ultrasound pictures. Due to privacy issues, this picture is taken from the Internet

"Is the right side generated by AI?" I couldn't help but comment. District asked.

"Yes!" Liu Yun, the owner of the photo, quickly replied, "I took it when I went to the hospital for a prenatal check-up. The doctor recommended this service."

As a person who is deeply involved in the field of AI As a self-media person, I thought I knew everything about the development of this industry. However, just such an ordinary photo in the circle of friends made me suddenly realize: the penetration of AI technology has already exceeded my imagination. It is no longer a new technology in the laboratory or an exclusive tool for professionals, but has truly entered the lives of ordinary people.

Next, I want to share with you a few stories that happened around me.

Note: To protect the privacy of the parties involved, all names in the article are pseudonyms.

Meet the future baby

After seeing that photo, I left a message in Moments to ask, and Liu Yun quickly replied to me.

"It is a service recommended by the hospital. It was taken together with the 4D color ultrasound. The whole set is only 150 yuan, including 4D pictures, photo frames and AI photos." She told me on WeChat, "In the beginning I didn’t have high expectations, I just thought it was so cheap and I would give it a try. "

In the subsequent chat, Liu Yun shared a heart-warming discovery with me. "You know, when I was pregnant, I didn't really feel much about the baby. It felt very abstract. But since seeing this photo, the baby suddenly became real."

She said , she and her husband often study the photos for a long time: "Who do these eyes look like, and who inherited this nose." Sometimes when they look at it, they discuss whether they should let their children learn a musical instrument in the future, because you look at this mouth shape, Is it particularly suitable? "

I asked her if she would be worried that her child would look different from the photo in the future. She was silent for a while and replied: "I do have this kind of anxiety. But think about it, sometimes during the ten months of pregnancy, it really does matter. It feels like a long time, but now that I have this photo, it makes everything warmer. Moreover, don’t children keep growing and changing throughout their lives? Just like the photos of ourselves when we were young, they are very different from now. Same, but every levelSections are all precious. "

These words got me thinking. In this era of rapid technological advancement, the changes brought by AI are far more than just efficiency improvements. It can also allow expectant parents to "meet" their children in advance. Maybe there is a warm sustenance in the long wait. The most precious value of technology is not the remarkable innovation, but these silent and warm moments.

And the changes brought by AI are far more than that. When we turn our attention to campus, You will find more surprising changes.

Accidentally discovered AI dance beauty

Picture: AI-generated stage background image

"Teacher, can you help me look at this PPT? It always freezes when playing. "

It was an ordinary night. I received a WeChat request for help from Li Ling, a dance teacher at my daughter’s school. The school was going to hold a final art show, and she was responsible for the choreography and program guidance, but now she was encountering technical problems.

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When I hit When I opened this PPT, I was attracted by the content. Every page has a beautiful stage background: falling petals, starry night sky, and fairy tale castle. These are all important elements of the stage design. When I saw the watermark in the lower right corner, I immediately I understand - these are images generated by AI.

As a person who often uses AI tools, I quickly discovered some areas that can be optimized because the resolution of the background image is not high enough. Maybe I didn’t know that there is an HD (high definition) option; the watermark can actually be easily removed through AI; what worries me most is that the ordinary bold words on the PPT cover form a strong contrast with the exquisite background.

"Teacher, let me help you make a new cover. "I said. I used AI to regenerate a cover image with the overall effect, text and pattern integrated.

"Wow, this is so beautiful! Li Ling's eyes lit up, "Is this also done by AI?" I didn’t even know AI could generate text and do it so beautifully. Which software is this used for? "

Looking at her reaction, I realized that she was using AI at the recommendation of a friend and didn't know much about many functions. She showed me a rehearsal video: "Little Swan" soundtrack With the tranquil lake background, "Jasmine" is paired with the ink Jiangnan scenery, and the effect is indeed Not bad.

Picture: AI-generated dance background of "Jasmine"

"You know, choreography is so important to the performance," she sighed and said, "Now Behind the stage is a huge LCD screen, occupying most of the audience's field of vision. If the background is poorly designed, the entire show suffers. "

Li Ling told me that she had tried it beforeI tried to find a professional company to design the stage. "Those companies all provide cookie-cutter templates, and every time we change the design, we have to communicate back and forth many times, which is very time-consuming. The final effect may not be what we want."

" But it's different now with AI," her tone became relaxed, "As long as you describe your idea clearly, you can see the effect immediately. If you are not satisfied, you can change it, and you don't have to worry about communication costs at all. The most important thing is that these pictures are basic. It's all free. Although I don't know much about technology, I am very happy to see the children dancing in front of such a beautiful background."

She showed me a video of the background: "Look. These little girls are usually very shy, but when you look at the background of the big screen while waiting, their eyes are shining. "

I shared some AI tools with Li Ling. Using techniques, she kept telling me thank you. This little thing touched me a lot. From the perspective of those of us who deal with AI all day long, removing watermarks, adjusting resolution, and generating text may be simple, but for ordinary people, even using the most basic functions has already made their work difficult. and life got better.

This may be the meaning of technology. It not only wants to create earth-shattering innovations, but also allows every ordinary person, even those who are not very technical, to realize their little dreams in a simple way. Just like this campus performance, with the blessing of AI, every child has a shining stage. And isn’t this what technology should be like?

This reminds me of another mother who is good at using technology. Her story tells us that mastering new technologies is actually much easier than imagined.

The AI ​​master discovered by accident

Picture: generated by AI Picture

"Mom, the teacher said that we should go to other classes to talk about this topic!" My daughter came back from school excitedly. "The teacher said that not only did we give good speeches, but our PPT was particularly good. He kept praising us." ."

This caught my attention. As someone who often makes PPT, I am very curious about what kind of work can get such high praise. "The PPT is in the parent group," my mother said, turning on her phone.

When I saw this PPT, I was really surprised. Each page is beautifully designed, with a clear theme, accurate illustrations, and the overall style is extremely professional. This doesn't look like an elementary school student's homework, but more like a professionally designed business presentation.

Out of curiosity, I contacted Mrs. Wang who made this PPT. Unexpectedly, her answer surprised me even more: "It's all done with AI."

Picture: P generated by AIPT

"Actually, I often use AI in my daily work," said Mrs. Wang. It turns out that she is a corporate trainer and often needs to prepare training materials. "It used to be very time-consuming to do PPT, so I stayed up late at night and lost my hair. I found that with AI, the efficiency from content framework to layout design has increased several times."

While chatting, , I found that her use of AI goes far beyond that. "To be honest, many homework assignments in schools now are a bit like testing parents," she said with a wry smile. "For example, making handwritten newspapers, writing essays, and writing campaign materials are a bit difficult for primary school students. Instead of letting children write well It’s very painful, so it’s better to use AI to help. The key is to let them understand the content. "

What surprised me even more was that she also used AI to solve parenting problems. "My child is in the rebellious stage now, and sometimes I really don't know how to communicate." She said, "I tell AI these confusions, and it will give me a lot of suggestions, such as when to be strict and when to be tolerant. How to talk to children. It even corrected many wrong practices. Although it cannot completely solve the problem, it at least gave me some new ideas. "

Picture: AI-generated pictures

< p>Mother Wang is one of the more in-depth AI users I have ever seen. Curious, I asked her how she came into contact with these tools. "Actually, it was because my husband was working in technology that he asked me to try ChatGPT." She said, "But later I found it too troublesome to use. Now I mainly use domestic AI products, which are fast and convenient."

During the chat, I learned that the way Mrs. Wang uses AI is very interesting: she will first use an AI to collect materials and organize the framework, and then use another specialized AI PPT software to do layout design.

"I usually let AI help me sort out the overall idea of ​​the training, and then make it into a PPT bit by bit. Although it is a bit time-consuming, I already feel much more relaxed than before." She said.

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but tell her that there are actually AI tools that can directly generate complete PPT. "And if you provide more details when making your request, such as the industry background of the training and the characteristics of the students, the solution given by AI will be more professional and targeted."

"Really?" She said in surprise, "I didn't know AI was so powerful now."

In fact, there are some more professional AI tools available, but I think it may be too early to say these now. After all, in our circle, many people are still waiting to see even the most basic AI tools, but Mrs. Wang has applied AI to all aspects of work and life.

Isn’t this what the spread of technology truly looks like? Not everyone has to use the most cutting-edge tools from the beginning, nor does it have to be a thorough study of every feature. The important thing is to dare to try, be willing to learn, and constantly improve during use.

People often say that mothers are supermen, but no matter how powerful superhuman beings are, there will be times when they are unable to do what they want. And when AI becomes their right-hand man, these ordinary mothers really begin to have superpowers - they can handle their work with ease, they can provide timely help to their children in their growth, and they can even find solutions when the parent-child relationship encounters bottlenecks. solution direction.

Watching Mrs. Wang skillfully use various AI tools, I suddenly understood: the meaning of technology is not to create super users, but to enable every ordinary person to slowly become a super user at his own pace. A better version of yourself.

New discoveries in the temperature of technology

When we talk about AI, We often fall into two extremes: either we worry that it will replace humans, or we expect it to create miracles. But in the stories of these three ordinary people, I saw another possibility.

AI does not make the expectant mother’s wait shorter, but it gives her more reasons to look forward to it; it does not replace the dance teacher’s choreography, but it allows every child to dance on a more beautiful stage; it does not Solve all the problems of working mothers, but quietly share some of the pressure for her.

This reminds me of a sentence I read some time ago: The warmth of technology does not lie in how powerful it is, but in how beautiful it can make ordinary life.