Dear AI, how am I doing?

The ever-growing role of AI reminds one of the time when the word 'automatic' came into existence, and it was the word most used to describe everything from watches to vehicles.

If one had to wind the watch in the past, it was an automatic quartz now. If it is a device, then the term automatic would indicate that it could switch off automatically without human interference, just like a microwave with a timer or a kettle. Of course, the word automatically also means spontaneously.

From all that became automatic, which has been great for industrialisation, Artificial Intelligence is not just making work easier but might be taking away jobs. So the debate goes on.

What we may not realise is how much people might already be depending on AI in their mobile phones and tablets.

A friend of mine could not solve her skin ailment even after seeing a few skin specialists. The next thing she did seems to have given her comfort. She asked the AI what she should do, and there she was given suggestions, including lifestyle changes. She felt, finally, that someone was giving her hope and not just prescriptions and medications.

The sentiment seemed similar to another friend who likes to ask AI how she is doing once in a while. So AI functions as a counsellor.

The journal app on the phone often prompts, "Want to reflect on your day?"

It is quite fun, actually, until we begin to wonder who else could be reading the journal.

After all, the AI apps read everything that is available online to summarise or come to an opinion.

There is another friend who likes to ask the AI what it has to say about him. He is often amazed at the details the AI has on him, including his gym membership.

So does it mean our online lives are all recorded as data science continues to grow in importance, just like AI's role in global communication and interconnectivity in the business world? AI has made it all easy, whether it is natural language processing or image and audio recognition. The world of media has changed so much that we are at times confused about the authenticity of the videos. AI videos and images can be intriguing, but they have also opened doors to fake news, and validity is debatable. AI has definitely made us smarter in the way we operate our lifestyle, such as applying energy efficiency measures as well as saving time.

And now it might just be able to break into loneliness. But is there a danger of being overdependent on AI?

One obvious concern would be the lack of emotional intelligence. The AI might be able to provide the probabilities and logical answers, but emotion is very much human. No technology can substitute that.

Time is so precious that it is probably the most expensive commodity that people may not have enough to spare. Maybe it is this lack of time that makes others turn towards technology to have a quiet conversation.

Spare some time for someone who is seeking someone to listen to - it might be too much to ask while we rush through the daily challenges of life. But maybe it is time to consider giving time for others as an act of kindness.

In today's world, everything has to make sense - especially economic sense. Wages are based on hours spent working, and I wonder if that is when time became a precious commodity. The reality, though, is that time became the most precious commodity because even money cannot buy time.

Time lost is gone forever.

As a friend put it, now is the time to start. To start, everything you have kept for tomorrow.