AI in Everyday Products
You're probably using AI dozens of times a day without realizing it. In this lesson, we'll uncover the AI working behind the scenes in products you use every day.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson, you'll recognize AI at work in everyday products and understand how it's shaping your digital experiences.
AI You Use Without Knowing
Before ChatGPT, AI was already everywhere — just invisible. Let's reveal it.
Recommendations: The AI That Knows Your Taste
Streaming Services
Netflix, Spotify, YouTube all use AI to recommend content:
| What AI Does | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Analyzes your viewing/listening history | Identifies patterns in what you like |
| Compares you to similar users | "People like you also watched..." |
| Predicts what you'll enjoy | Ranks content by likelihood you'll engage |
| Personalizes thumbnails | Shows you the image most likely to appeal |
Did you know? Netflix estimates its recommendation system is worth $1 billion per year in retained subscribers.
Spotify's AI:
- Creates personalized playlists (Discover Weekly, Daily Mix)
- Groups similar songs together
- Predicts the next song you'll want
- Powers "Spotify Wrapped" with your listening insights
E-commerce
Amazon, online retailers use AI throughout the shopping experience:
- "Customers who bought this also bought..."
- "Recommended for you"
- Search results ranking
- Dynamic pricing (prices may vary by user/timing)
- Fraud detection on purchases
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter feeds are AI-curated:
- What appears in your feed
- What order posts appear
- Which ads you see
- Which accounts are suggested
- Which content goes viral
TikTok's AI is famously powerful at predicting what will keep you scrolling — often within minutes of using the app.
Search: More Than Keywords
Google Search
Google's AI goes far beyond matching keywords:
| AI Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Understanding intent | Knows "best pizza" means "near me, highly rated" |
| Semantic search | Finds results about the concept, not just words |
| Featured snippets | Extracts and displays the answer directly |
| Image recognition | Finds similar images, identifies objects |
| Voice search | Understands spoken queries |
| AI Overviews | Generates summary answers from multiple sources |
Autocomplete
That helpful suggestion when you start typing? AI predicting what you want to search for based on:
- Popular searches
- Your search history
- Current trends
- Your location
Communication: AI Making You Sound Better
Gmail's AI features:
- Spam filtering: 99.9% of spam never reaches your inbox
- Smart Reply: Suggests quick responses
- Smart Compose: Autocompletes sentences as you type
- Categorization: Separates Primary, Social, Promotions
- Nudges: "You received this 5 days ago. Reply?"
Keyboards
Your phone keyboard uses AI:
- Autocorrect: Fixes typos (sometimes incorrectly)
- Next word prediction: Suggests what you'll type next
- Learning: Adapts to your vocabulary and writing style
- Emoji suggestions: Predicts relevant emoji
Translation
Real-time translation in messaging apps, web browsers, and dedicated apps — all powered by AI.
Photography: AI Behind Every Shot
Smartphone Cameras
Modern phone photos are heavily processed by AI:
| Feature | AI at Work |
|---|---|
| Portrait mode | AI separates subject from background |
| Night mode | AI combines multiple shots, reduces noise |
| HDR | AI balances exposure across the image |
| Scene detection | AI recognizes food, sunset, etc. and adjusts settings |
| Face detection | AI finds faces for focus and exposure |
| Photo enhancement | AI sharpens, adjusts colors, reduces blur |
The truth: "Raw" photos from phones are actually heavily AI-processed — we've just accepted it as normal.
Photo Organization
Google Photos, Apple Photos use AI to:
- Recognize faces and group photos by person
- Identify objects and scenes ("beach," "birthday")
- Make photos searchable ("photos with dogs")
- Create automatic memories and albums
- Suggest photos to share with specific people
Maps and Navigation
Predictive Navigation
Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps use AI for:
| Feature | How AI Helps |
|---|---|
| Traffic prediction | Predicts congestion before you arrive |
| Route optimization | Considers current and predicted traffic |
| ETA accuracy | Learns from millions of trips |
| Incident detection | Identifies accidents from driver patterns |
| Parking suggestions | Predicts parking difficulty |
Location Intelligence
AI also powers:
- Business hours accuracy (learning from visits)
- Popular times graphs
- Recommendations for places
- Answering questions about locations
Voice Assistants
Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant
These are AI systems that:
- Wake word detection: Listens for "Hey Siri" or "Alexa"
- Speech recognition: Converts your voice to text
- Intent understanding: Figures out what you want
- Action execution: Controls devices, searches, responds
- Speech synthesis: Speaks the response
Limitations: Despite improvements, voice assistants still struggle with:
- Complex multi-step requests
- Understanding context
- Natural conversation
- Accents and speech patterns
They're good for simple commands, less useful for complex tasks (which is why LLMs are being integrated).
Security and Fraud Detection
Financial AI
Your bank uses AI to:
| Purpose | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Fraud detection | Spots unusual transaction patterns |
| Credit scoring | Analyzes payment history and behavior |
| Customer service | Chatbots handle routine inquiries |
| Risk assessment | Evaluates loan applications |
That call about suspicious activity? AI detected something unusual in your spending pattern.
Security Systems
- Face unlock on phones
- Fingerprint recognition
- Behavioral biometrics (how you type, hold your phone)
- Anomaly detection in network security
Health and Fitness
Wearables
Apple Watch, Fitbit use AI for:
- Heart rate analysis and irregular rhythm detection
- Sleep stage classification
- Activity recognition (running vs. cycling)
- Calorie estimation
- Health trend analysis
Health Apps
- Symptom checkers
- Mental health chatbots
- Medication reminders with smart timing
- Diet and nutrition analysis
Smart Home
Thermostats
Nest, Ecobee learn your preferences:
- When you're home
- Temperature preferences by time
- Energy optimization
Other Smart Devices
- Robot vacuums that map your home
- Smart lights that learn routines
- Security cameras that distinguish people from pets
- Washers that detect load type
The Invisible Trade-off
The Exchange
All this AI convenience comes with trade-offs:
| You Get | They Get |
|---|---|
| Personalized recommendations | Your viewing/browsing history |
| Better photos | Your images and metadata |
| Spam-free inbox | Your emails processed |
| Accurate navigation | Your location history |
| Convenient voice control | Your voice recordings |
Being Informed
This isn't necessarily bad, but it's worth understanding:
- Read privacy policies (or summaries of them)
- Adjust privacy settings to your comfort level
- Consider what data you're sharing
- Use privacy-focused alternatives when they matter to you
Key Takeaways
- AI is embedded in products you use daily — often invisibly
- Recommendations (Netflix, Spotify, Amazon) rely on AI learning your preferences
- Search uses AI to understand intent, not just match keywords
- Your phone camera heavily processes photos with AI
- Voice assistants are AI systems for hands-free control
- Security systems use AI to protect you from fraud
- The trade-off is often personal data for personalized experiences
- Understanding this helps you make informed choices about the products you use
What's Next
With AI so deeply embedded in our lives, it's important to think about the ethical implications. In the next lesson, we'll explore AI ethics and the concerns that matter.