7 - You’ve Been Using AI for 20 Years and Didn’t Know It
You didn’t miss the AI revolution. You’ve been living in it for decades — you just didn’t have a name for it. In this episode of Small Steps with AI, we trace the AI you’ve already been using your whole life: the recommendation engines, the spam filters, the fraud alerts, the predictive text — and explain what actually changed when AI learned to have a conversation.
This episode covers how AI has been quietly personalizing your world since long before ChatGPT, why you were training these systems even as they were shaping you, what the old narrow AI couldn’t do no matter how smart it was, and what genuinely shifted when conversational AI arrived. Plus a personal story about how writing has always been hard — and why that changed.
If you’ve felt like you’re late to AI or not sure where to start, this episode is your entry point.
Question for you: What’s one thing in your life that background AI has already made easier — even before you thought of it as AI?
Jill’s Links
http://jillfromthenorthwoods.com
https://www.youtube.com/@startwithsmallsteps
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/startwithsmallsteps
Email the podcast at jill@startwithsmallsteps.com
By choosing to watch this video or listen to this podcast, you acknowledge that you are doing so of your own free will. The content shared here reflects personal experiences and opinions and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. I am not a software developer, data scientist, or AI professional. Any tips, tools, or suggestions offered should not be considered a substitute for professional technical advice. AI tools and platforms change frequently — always verify current features, pricing, and terms directly with the providers. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content.
