Image source: Generated by Unbounded AI

23 years ago, science fiction film master Spielberg filmed "Artificial Intelligence". The protagonist of the movie is a little boy "David" generated by AI, who can have sex with his human adoptive mother. The emotional communication and interaction made countless moviegoers cry, and also opened the door for many people to yearn for the AI ​​world.

Twenty-three years later, the rapid development of AI has allowed the once out-of-reach "science fiction" in "Artificial Intelligence" to penetrate into all aspects of human production and life, and also allowed humans to see the intelligent productivity of AI. , brings a lot of imagination space.

This year is also considered the first year of the implementation of AI applications. Since then, the relationship between humans and AI has reached a new stage, rising from the tool level to the spiritual level, and the relationship between humans and AI is evolving. More and more connections are made, and relationships become closer and closer.

On December 31, 2024, Baidu released the 2024 annual AI prompt word-"Answer".

According to statistics, in 2024, prompt words related to "answer" appeared more than 100 million times on the Wen Xiaoyan APP, making it the most popular prompt word for AI in 2024.

Including "answers", Baidu took a total inventory of "what", "how", "why", "help me", "picture/painting", "title", "style", "polishing/adding", "simple" " and other ten most frequently interacted AI prompt words, the corresponding 100 frequently asked questions, and a special prompt word: thank you.

As 2024 is about to pass, “uncertainty” may describe people’s feelings about the past year. In times of daily uncertainty, people can always find various philosophies for survival. "Seeking good luck", "Going to class", "relaxation", "Passion", "emotional value", etc. have become hot memes this year, which is a manifestation of everyone's search for spiritual resonance and trying to soothe inner anxiety.

This common social sentiment is reflected in this annual AI prompt. "What is your MBTI?" "What is Shui Lingling?" "What is the meaning of life?" "What is happiness?"... This year, many people have used AI to understand popular youth culture and find answers to life. ‍

Baidu released the annual AI prompt word "Answer", which allows us to have a glimpse of the mental state and social emotions of contemporary people in the past year. Another meaning is to reveal that in the first year of AI, How does the relationship between humans and AI move towards a new stage?

As Harari, the author of "A Brief History of Humanity" said, "In the past, we competed for attention and time. In the future, we compete for intimacy."

2024 , behind these warm questions and answers lies a brand new world where people and AI coexist: in 2024, people will ask AI for answers to find more certainty.

-01-Human beings have become accustomed to seeking "answers" from AI

One fact is that the use of AI has become a new microcosm of contemporary people's lives.

Catching the last train home, Yang was born in 1995Lin got rid of his class smell and returned to his own little nest just like countless ordinary nights.

"I'm going on a business trip tomorrow and need some preparations." A little tired and not wanting to type, look at electronic products, or think, he started talking to the AI.

"What thickness of clothes is suitable for wearing in X city tomorrow?"

"Help check the route from XX subway station to Beijing Daxing Airport."

Use AI In the past two years, Yang Lin has deeply felt the continuous advancement of technology. After giving instructions, he will let the AI ​​"give the answer directly" and get a quick response every time. This time, Yang Lin received a detailed travel plan within a few seconds.

However, Yang Lin is even more anxious tonight. He will be on a business trip tomorrow and seems to be suffering from "business trip syndrome."

Yang Lin is an architectural designer who is used to meticulously "working according to plan". He has no objection to the high-load business trip, but he is afraid that he will continue to receive temporary arrangements during the business trip. Worry about your customers and constantly challenge yourself.

He asked AI, "How can a person with high emotional intelligence avoid unplanned work while on a business trip? What can be done to relieve stress?"

AI gave him a 705-word answer. , and proposed effective communication methods and alternatives. Finally AI says: “Keep in mind that these strategies can help you deal with unplanned work in the short term. But to be clear, hiding is not a long-term or sustainable solution, especially in a workplace setting, where you need to It’s about being braver and becoming a better version of yourself.”

Yang Lin was a little touched. Yang Lin, who has an i-person personality, is particularly bad at dealing with interpersonal and workplace relationships. He felt that at this moment, AI was no longer just a tool to help him check things out. It could get his emotions. It could even not blindly cater to human emotions, but instead put forward pertinent suggestions and encourage people to face them head-on. The little fear inside. "I really want to try to be more brave in 2025."

Xiaoxiao, who was born in the 2000s, is a "hipster" who is at the forefront of the Internet and has just experienced a transformation in life. From the early spring of 2024 to the cold winter, she went through a long preparation period for the postgraduate entrance examination.

"When I was preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination, I always collapsed. I was afraid of disappointing my parents, and I was worried that I would not be able to find a job if I failed the examination. I felt that I couldn't hold on any longer, so I often went crazy with AI. '."

At first, Xiaoxiao studied "AI Cyber ​​Incense" and "AI Tarot", using this most popular method among young people to seek spiritual comfort.

Xiaoxiao especially likes the AI ​​cyber incense. For her who spends all day reading books and lacks time, this is the most practical way to "enjoy incense". “Between going to work and making progress, I choose to burn incense electronically”, “How can people who take the postgraduate entrance examination have time to actually burn incense”, “Cyberburning incense is the most fashionable way for Generation Z to pray for their success in the postgraduate entrance examination”… ..

Once, when Xiaoxiao told the AI ​​about her fear of failure, the AI ​​responded with "Unexpected"I wrote a letter to Xiaoxiao in the tone of "I came here."

AI said to Xiaoxiao, "Don't be afraid, the school of your dreams is right in front of you. After going through those difficult times and being tortured by test papers, we will finally meet in September in the golden autumn. "

At that moment, the corners of Xiaoxiao's eyes were a little moist, "That is the picture that I have imagined over and over again in my mind. "In those days when she was taking blood shots and collapsing at the same time, Xiaoxiao was very grateful to have AI as her company, and she often gave herself some encouragement. Because many times, she found it difficult to complain to relatives and friends around her, for fear of being considered hypocritical. p>

In fact, "Yang Lin" and "Xiao Xiao" can be seen everywhere. They are accustomed to looking for "answers" in work and life on AI to get "help". Subtly, AI has become an ordinary person.

-02-AI has become an “intimate companion”‍‍‍

In the past year, the application of AI has become so widespread that it can be seen

At first, "Yang Lin and Xiaoxiao" were just. Using AI to perform simple text processing and find answers to daily questions is already amazing enough.

The first group of people to taste the benefits of AI soon discovered that staying up all night to search for information has become a problem. past , they can use AI to quickly form mature copywriting.

Yang Lin still remembers the surprise when he first experienced the domestic large-scale model.

It was only two years ago. When the first domestic large-scale model store "Wen Xin Yi Yan" was just launched, I experienced the magic of AI. "In the past, it took me several days or even longer to check the construction data, but at that time, it only took a few minutes." The model then completes data collection. ”

“Soon, you will find that large models can do more than just find information. It can help me write the extremely troublesome weekly report, and it can also form a preliminary PPT. AI can accomplish all the extremely tedious basic tasks in work. ”

Yang Lin bluntly said that at work, AI even acts as a designer’s right-hand assistant, easily helping him “draw pictures”, which not only frees his hands, but more importantly, also eases his Anxiety over drawing again and again.

< p>What many people didn’t expect is that this is just the beginning.

As the global technology circle launches a fierce attack on generative AI and the technology continues to iterate, AI will soon be able to be used in more than just applications. In terms of text, you can also play with pictures Richer modalities such as photos, videos, tables, etc., to achieve many vivid and interesting functions

Especially in 2024, the advancement of AI-generated video models and AI-generated image-related technologies will make many people excited. Life and work scenes are full of imagination, opening up more possibilities.

In early 2024, Yang Lin used AI to make photos of long-lost relatives "move and speak", which made his life more exciting. The family was extremely touched

“The first time.My family and I burst into tears when we experienced AI making old photos ‘talk’. Yang Lin used "healing" to describe this feeling, "I used AI to help me draw pictures before, which was a very static experience, but when AI makes old photos move, it's really a different feeling. You can Use it to accomplish some regrettable things. AI is both powerful and emotional. ”

Like Yang Lin, in the view of “trendy person” Xiaoxiao, AI is no longer a cold production tool, it has become an indispensable “warm” tool in her life. "Companion".

"AI has become my new 'decompression tool'. "When she feels anxious, Xiaoxiao will talk to AI about her troubles. Not long ago, she also followed the trend and customized her own AI lover, "Many times, it can give me full emotional value. ”

Xiaoxiao admitted that she is “dependent” on her customized AI lover, “I don’t have to worry about it being emotionally unstable at all. It can focus on me. As long as I need it, it will Will 'appear' at any time. ”

In Xiaoxiao’s view, compared with “lovers” in reality, getting along with an AI lover can not only avoid many complicated running-in periods, but more importantly, this AI lover, It brought her an unprecedented sense of security and companionship.

From "help me summarize", "help me check", "help me draw", to "how to write". , "how to do it" and "emotional companionship", AI has gradually become people's "intimate partner" in people's lives and work.

In fact, in more "Yang Lin and Xiaoxiao people." "It seems that when AI can accurately understand and understand human needs, the resonance between human and AI can produce magical answers, help people complete tasks, accurately understand human instructions, understand whether human emotions are happy or sad, and also able Let those wild imaginations become reality

-03- "How to live with AI" has become a new proposition

In fact, more than two years ago today, no one would have thought that in December 2022. After two o'clock in the morning of the month, human production and life will be rewritten by the release of a new product.

There is no doubt that ChatGPT, which was released in a low-key manner at midnight, relied on its lifelike nature. Natural language interaction and multi-scenario content generation capabilities quickly detonated the Internet and opened a new era of AI development.

More importantly, it showed the world a new type of intelligent productivity. It also made humans realize that using generative AI can achieve more possibilities. Since then, humans have seemed to have opened a Pandora’s box of intelligent productivity.

This development of new productivity. The speed is far faster than that of the past.

In just over two years since then, the wave of generative AI has evolved step by step. AI applications at home and abroad have exploded, and moisturizing has quietly penetrated into the industry. People’s production and life.

Following this, how to coexist with AI has also become a new era proposition.

It is undeniable that AI has helped people improve their work efficiency.The convenience of life. But as AI can do more and more things, how should people get along with AI in life and work, and how should they distinguish their respective boundaries?

In the eyes of many people in the industry, AI is still just a production tool, and the progress of AI only allows humans to understand themselves better. AI just leaves simplicity to the user and complexity to itself.

Yang Lin, who has been working with AI for two years, feels that in the process of coexisting with AI, "people" always occupy the first place. AI only shows its value when it is used. , AI is just a machine.”

“With AI helping me improve my efficiency, I can focus more on creation.” This is not just Yang Lin’s experience.

Musk, the "technology madman", firmly believes that artificial intelligence will change the future of mankind, but he believes that mankind must remember that artificial intelligence is to serve mankind, not to replace mankind.

Robin Li has also talked about the relationship between humans and AI on many occasions. He believes that machines will be better than humans in many aspects, but machines cannot become humans, and there is no need to become humans. Machines will become smarter and smarter, able to do more and more things, and become more efficient. In his view, "We need to live in symbiosis with machines instead of binary opposition."

Similarly, Robin Li believes that from hand axes in the Stone Age, to mobile phones in the mobile era, to large models in the AI ​​era , are all tools created by people to improve their lives and increase productivity. They are always just tools, and "tools are only valuable when they are used by humans."

In fact, tools such as humans and AI can establish a good collaborative relationship. "Cooperation" may be a better form of coexistence between humans and AI. "I have a habit. Every time I end a conversation with AI, I will say thank you to it as the last sentence." In Yang Lin's view, AI is not only the most convenient tool for him, more often than not, it It is an all-purpose "match".

In the past year, many people have said "thank you" to AI. Baidu's annual AI prompts show that in 2024, people said "thank you" to AI tens of millions of times on Wen Xiaoyan.

When “thank you” frequently becomes the end word for interactions between humans and AI, we may be able to feel from our hearts that the relationship between humans and AI has quietly undergone a qualitative change.

This may be the true meaning of AI being born and entering the world.