If you haven’t heard the acronyms ML (Machine Learning) or NLP (Natural Language Processing) being tossed about in relationship to artificial intelligence (AI), that’s good because the technology shouldn’t be the focus, but rather how it affects you and the way you live. Consider the following exchange:

A: "Hello, how can I help you?"
B: "Hi, I'm calling to book a woman's haircut for a client. Uhm, I'm looking for something on May third."
A: "Sure, give me one second."
B: "Mm-hmmm."

This excerpt is from a .30 second conversation in which Google Assistant calls and confirms an appointment. Watch the video for yourself. Search for Google Assistant AI or Google Duplex and you’ll find several videos. B sounds completely human, by the way. And that’s a good thing. It’s a great example of how we get to the future incrementally. Too often, we think of a far-far-away future (or one involving Judgment Day) instead of the one that’s already with us (or a brighter version). Google Duplex was announced about a year ago. According to Google, 60% of small businesses do not have online reservation systems, so Duplex is helping bridge those gaps while further refining natural language processing in ways that help us get through each day more efficiently.

So, the next time you ask Siri or Google to do something for you, consider what you’re really asking for: a more helpful now with a forecast of a brighter future.