15 ways AI saved me time at work in 2024 – and how I plan to use it in 2025

The previous yr has been an enormous yr for AI, and we right here at ZDNET have been documenting it by way of a number of articles per day, throughout our total editorial group. I’ve typically written a few articles every week on one side of AI innovation or one other. It has been really thrilling and interesting to discover.

However what AI do I truly use? That is actually a two-part query. There’s the AI I take advantage of as a result of I attempt every thing I can get my fingers on to investigate and deconstruct it for you. Then there’s the AI I take advantage of to extend my productiveness, shorten my workflow, and save time. These two classes will not be the identical factor.

For instance, whereas I usually take a look at generative AI to create textual content, I by no means use that characteristic for any of my articles. ZDNET doesn’t permit content material generated by AI besides when it is used for example how AI works. 

Additionally, to be truthful, I am knowledgeable author, so I do not want AI to assist me craft phrases. That is to not say generative AI for textual content technology is unhealthy. It will probably open doorways for individuals who aren’t practiced in writing, serving to them share info and craft letters, experiences, and scripts. It will also be an enormous profit to individuals who battle with a language they don’t seem to be fluent in or for these with different writing challenges.

However I’ve adopted AI as a part of my productiveness stack, and it has saved me appreciable time. On this article, I’ll present you 15 methods I used AI in 2024 to extend my productiveness and streamline my workflow. I will additionally finish with a little bit of a wishlist for 2025, waiting for methods AI would possibly show much more useful sooner or later.

Since that is my final article for 2024, please settle for my greatest needs for a beautiful vacation season and a very good New Yr. I will see you on the flip aspect. And now, listed below are 15 methods AI elevated my productiveness in 2024.

1. I used AI to assist me program

I discovered that ChatGPT (and not a lot the opposite chatbots) was very useful when coding among the extra rote components of my tasks. I used AI for widespread data coding (API interfaces, for instance), for writing CSS selectors, for writing common expressions, and to check common expressions, amongst different issues.

I am fairly certain my AI use saved me a couple of month of programming time through the yr.

2. I used AI to elucidate what a block of code does

Loads of trendy programming entails working with code different folks wrote. So much additionally entails working with code you wrote years in the past and do not recall the small print.

A number of occasions throughout my coding, I copied a block of code, pasted it into ChatGPT, and requested the AI what the code does. Normally, the AI is not going to solely inform you what the code does, it can additionally break down the sections that can assist you dissect it.

3. I used AI to assist me debug code

As I discussed, the AI will inform you what a block of code does. Which means you may feed an AI a block of code which may not work. I discovered that I may feed code and error messages to ChatGPT, and it might determine what I used to be doing mistaken.

This was such a strong characteristic that I added it to my testing suite. Now, we will use it to validate how properly an AI can decide why a block of code is damaged.

4. I used AI to assist me do buyer sentiment evaluation

After doing a reasonably measurable replace to one in all my merchandise, I used to be involved about whether or not or not customers preferred it or discovered it problematic. I get tech assist requests, however not often sufficient to gauge the sentiment of my consumer base. However I do seize customers’ causes for uninstalling my product, which supplies me an enormous database of English language causes and information fields.

I fed all of that to the AI, and it gave me again fascinating charts and information evaluation with out requiring weeks of programming. In a matter of minutes, I had my reply: customers typically had been happier with the brand new launch. Yay.

5. I used AI to create pictures for my albums

One of many largest methods AI provides worth to my workflow is in graphics and video manufacturing. Whereas I have been a reasonably good artistic director, I’m not an illustrator. So, I discovered the power to do text-to-image (and all of the associated graphics options) vastly useful.

Final yr, I used AI to create the album cowl for my EP “Home of the Head.” This yr, I used Midjourney to create the album cowl for my second EP, “Decisions are Voices.”

6. I used AI to fill and repair my images

I take a whole lot of images, some for myself and a few as illustrations for my many tasks. A few of these images enter the digicam completely composed, however most of them have one thing that must be cleaned up — whether or not it’s kind of of muddle within the background, a desk that does not lengthen far sufficient, or distractions that take away from the picture.

I have been utilizing Photoshop to wash up my pictures for many years. However when generative fill popped onto the scene, together with a few of Photoshop’s different AI enhancements, together with distraction elimination (for energy traces and such), it helped me save pictures which may in any other case have been unusable.

7. I used AI to generate vector graphics

In terms of Adobe merchandise, Photoshop is my day by day driver. I take advantage of Illustrator, however largely to resize and modify pictures from clipart libraries I’ve purchased to be used in large PowerPoint shows. I additionally use Illustrator to configure and arrange reducing directions for my Glowforge laser cutter, which handles PDFs fairly properly.

Earlier this yr, Adobe launched a type of generative fill that creates vector-based pictures, which you’ll then ungroup and deconstruct into parts which are simple to resize and reuse. Whereas I have not wanted these options for a lot of my workflow, they’re spectacular. I hope to make use of them extra over time.

8. I used AI to generate month-to-month pictures for e-commerce

My spouse Denise owns a small e-commerce enterprise for folks with a selected curiosity in a very talked-about interest. She hosts a really energetic Fb group, the place one of many group’s favourite actions is creating month-to-month tasks primarily based on a theme she presents at the start of the month.

Every month, I take advantage of Midjourney to make an image that evokes that theme. I’ve tried DALL-E 3 and Photoshop, however neither does justice to the subject material. However Midjourney largely nails it. So, I take advantage of Midjourney to create the picture and infrequently deliver the picture into Photoshop to zhush it up. These pictures present the inspiration that encourages hobbyists to craft dozens of spectacular new creations every month.

9. I used AI to create transferring masks in video clips

Masking in video is the method of separating one a part of the video from one other. For my movies, the thought is to separate me from the background so I can regulate the colour, brightness, and distinction of my face and physique separate from the background. I’ve additionally used masking to cover the background, changing it with one thing new.

10. I used AI to wash up crappy audio in my movies

Earlier than I moved to the DJI Mic 2, I used a reasonably costly however shockingly unhealthy Bluetooth lavalier mic. Typically, the takes had been good. Different occasions, they had been simply plain horrible. I usually needed to do retakes when it grew to become clear that the audio in my footage was unusable.

Someday, I accomplished a very harrowing take that might not be redone. Regardless of all my pre-checks, the audio turned out to be painful to hearken to. So I uploaded it to Adobe’s Improve Speech AI software, and it labored wonders with my horrible take. I’ve used it a couple of extra occasions since then.

11. I used AI to auto-track me whereas filming

When a tv actor or host strikes round on set, there’s often a digicam operator who follows the movement. Whenever you do your individual YouTube movies, you are just about by yourself. A number of the largest YouTube channels mimic TV set operations, however my channel is simply me, some instruments, and a little bit of barely cranky perspective.

I’ve tried monitoring gimbals a bunch of occasions earlier than, nevertheless it wasn’t till I discovered the Hohem iSteady V3 that I had any actual success. Its monitoring is sort of good on account of its on-device AI picture evaluation, and it additionally works with out an app, which is one in all my favourite options. I simply flip it on, mount my cellphone, make one of some foolish gestures to inform it what I would like, and it simply works.

12. I used AI for challenge analysis

For instance, I wanted to bend a chunk of 1/4-inch thick aluminum 90 levels for one in all my tasks. Totally different grades of aluminum are softer or tougher and can both bend simply or require warmth to keep away from cracking.
I came upon the mannequin variety of the aluminum I purchased at my native ironmongery store and requested ChatGPT for the alloy quantity, which signifies hardness. Then I requested ChatGPT, primarily based on that alloy quantity and the 1/4-inch thickness, whether or not I wanted to warmth the steel earlier than bending. ChatGPT stated sure, I wanted to warmth it.

13. I used AI to assist me write articles within the rest room

And in mattress. And within the workshop. And whereas making eggs. And on the ironmongery store. And in a bunch of different locations and circumstances.

With iOS 18, Apple added the power for the Voice Recording app to transcribe voice recordings. I mixed that with my Apple Watch. Now, it doesn’t matter what I am doing, if I’ve some helpful ideas, I can report a couple of sentences or paragraphs proper into the Voice Recording app on my cellphone, then later transcribe them and drop them into an article. Since I do a whole lot of desirous about articles once I’m not in entrance of the keyboard, this can be a good way for me to seize these nuggets and save time.

14. I used AI to assist enhance 3D print high quality

I truly used AI with 3D printing in two pretty totally different areas. One was analytics. I had a 3D take a look at print (known as a Benchy) that printed far sooner utilizing directions straight from the manufacturing unit than something I used to be in a position to reproduce utilizing customary software program instruments. So I fed the G-code (robotic directions) to ChatGPT and requested it for an evaluation. The conclusion: the manufacturing unit model tweaked sure velocity and high quality settings to make it run sooner.

Two of my latest 3D printers additionally declare to make use of AI to assist enhance print high quality and handle jams. I am unable to independently confirm whether or not they’re AI washing or actually utilizing AI of their printer operations. However I can say that each produce nicer prints — with increased ranges of reliability than printers whose distributors do not declare to make use of AI.

15. I used AI to fly my drone

Trendy drones are superb. Again within the day, I had a radio-controlled helicopter, which I crashed. So much. Flying a helicopter is tough. You don’t have any concept how laborious it’s till you attempt with an RC toy. The talent of actual helicopter pilots flying actual folks is jaw-dropping.

However drones make that every one appear easy. They’ve built-in AI that understands all of the aerodynamics of lifting an object into the air and making it go the place you need it to go. Yesterday, in actual fact, I despatched up my DJI Mavic Professional to get some property photos for laying out a fancy safety digicam grid. After finishing its mission, I simply tapped “Return to Residence.” It dealt with all of the return navigation and landed itself completely and easily proper in entrance of me.

What I would like AI to do for me in 2025…

The top of AI, for me, could be a robotic that may go to the kitchen, brew and put together a cup of espresso, and convey it to me on the sofa. “Alexa, deliver me espresso,” ought to lead to an precise cup of espresso, ready precisely as I prefer it. In any other case, what good is it to be residing sooner or later?

In any other case, listed below are some issues I would love to do with AI. Notice that the video modifying gadgets under do exist in some purposes, however they don’t seem to be obtainable in Closing Minimize, which is my modifying software. Different capabilities both do not exist or aren’t ok to assist with my workflow output.

Right here we go. My wishlist.

• I would like to make use of AI to take away pauses and different waste in video clips. This course of may be very time-consuming, and it ought to be attainable with a click on of the mouse.
• I would like to make use of AI to wash up ums and uhs from audio. This is similar concept as above, however for audio takes.
• I would like Closing Minimize to offer the identical form of audio restore that Adobe provides in its on-line Improve Speech software.
• I would like to make use of AI to generate video clips for music movies and B-roll for YouTube movies. We’re seeing the beginnings of this with OpenAI’s Sora, however I would prefer it as easy and commonplace as text-to-image is now. I would additionally prefer it to provide clips of as much as 30 seconds.
• I would like to make use of AI to truly handle my incoming e mail and filters. I do not want AI to make my emails sound friendlier. I would like it to assist me sift by way of the metric ton of crap I get every day.
• I would like to make use of AI to dimension my 3D fashions. After I’m designing one thing to suit a real-world half, I spend hours to days taking caliper measurements, translating that right into a 3D design, testing, printing, and redoing it. I would like to have the ability to simply take a couple of photos of an object and have the AI totally dimension your entire factor so I may then translate that into my challenge.

AI has come a good distance in the previous few years, nevertheless it has an enormous future forward as properly. What have you ever used AI for in 2024? What would you like AI to have the ability to do for you subsequent yr? Have you ever used AI as a novelty, or have you ever built-in it into your common workflow? Tell us within the feedback under.

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