Hot take: Everyone's obsessed with making AI 'creative', but I think we're missing the point on what it's actually good for.

I keep seeing posts about AI writing novels or making art, and honestly, it feels like a distraction. The real innovation I saw last month was at a small manufacturing plant near Akron. They used a simple vision AI model, trained on maybe 500 images, to spot microscopic cracks in machine parts. It caught a flaw a human inspector missed three times. That's the stuff that changes industries and keeps people safe, not another poem generator. Why are we so focused on the flashy stuff instead of the practical, problem-solving applications? What's a boring but super useful AI application you've seen?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_dixon7015d ago

Exactly! My local library uses AI to sort returned books... it sounds dull, but it freed up staff to actually help people find things. That quiet efficiency is where the real win is.

josepha3215d ago

Have you seen how they handle holds now? Our branch uses a simple scanner to check books in, then the system prints a slip telling staff exactly which shelf to restock it on. It cut the reshelving time in half, so now the librarians spend more time running kids' reading clubs. That's the kind of boring tech that makes a place better.

nancycooper15d ago

Wait, so librarians are basically getting cheat codes now? Next thing you know the scanner will start whispering which patrons are overdue on their fines.