By Oghenekevwe Kofi, LM Ericsson Nigeria Limited
Artificial Intelligence with its usage-is no more a fad confined to technical conferences or sci-fi movies. It has become an essential part of your life, and you use AI more than you think. From the time you wake up and ask your virtual assistant to tell you the weather to the time you scroll through Instagram and those eerily accurate ads pop up, AI is in the background, making life easier.
AI is no longer a subject for the tech experts or developers alone; rather, it has grown to be part of everyday life for the simple people, including Nigerians. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Lagos, Abuja, or Warri; in all these apps you use, the music you listen to, or even your means of communication, AI is truly there. Now, let’s embark on a cool journey of some everyday AI uses and how it changes the daily routine-mostly all unbeknownst to many of us.
AI in Your Home: From “Dull” to “Smart”
Imagine you’re coming home from work, and instead of fiddling with the light switch in the dark, you simply say, “Hey Google, turn on the lights,” and voila-your home is lit up. That’s not magic; that’s AI at work. This is especially true in the context of smart home devices, which are now a part of modern homes and find their place even in Nigerian homes. Whether it is Google Nest, Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomePod, these devices work on AI to understand your voice commands to switch appliances on, play your Afrobeats playlist, or remind you to buy pepper the next time you enter the market. That does not just make life more convenient, but it also adds an awesomely cool factor to your home. Like those movies about the future, but it is real!
Another neat application would be AI-enabled smart thermostats. In places where energy is a luxury, devices like these help you conserve power. It learns your routine and adjusts the temperature accordingly, to ensure that you’re never too hot or too cold. Although Nigeria doesn’t go through winter, AI can be used to aid us in managing energy, most especially in places where there is an irregular electricity supply or from those who are on Band A.
AI in Your Pocket: Virtual Assistants at Your Service
Gone are those days when you needed to tap on your phone to get things running. Now, you could just order your virtual assistant to get things done by ordering in voice. Google Assistant, Siri, or Bixby-for Samsung users the invisible friend in your pocket that is ever ready to help you.
Setting up alarms, booking flights, and knowing the traffic updates on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for your journey have virtual assistants for all such daily chores. These AI-powered assistants can read your messages aloud when your hands are full. Talk about multitasking! The pace is fast, and we love to hustle in Nigeria. Virtual assistants can ease it a little in our busy schedules. You could ask Google to remind you to pick up groceries after work or set reminders for meetings. The more you work with them, the more they get to know your preferences and start guessing what you might need. Your phone turns from just a gadget into something even more – your assistant.
AI in Shopping: Personalized Recommendations
Ever wondered why it feels like Instagram knows exactly what you want to buy? You’re scrolling through your feed, and bam! An ad for that sneaker you were eyeing last week pops up. Or you log onto Jumia, and voila. The things you had been eyeing have gone on sale. Coincidence? Not really.
AI is what drives such personalized shopping experiences. E-commerce sites use AI that follows what you browse, what your interests are, and even what you have purchased in the past. They will analyse all these and show you the things you are most likely to buy. The next time you add a shirt to your cart on Konga, remember that AI has been working behind the scenes, tantalizing you with just the right suggestion. AI is also helpful for small business owners in Nigeria. Most e-commerce platforms nowadays utilize different AI tools in rendering customer insights, inventory optimization, and even personalized marketing strategies. Whether you are selling or buying, AI operates in the background to enable seamless shopping experiences across the board.
AI in Health: Your Fitness Coach
Keeping healthy has never been easier with AI. Be it trying to lose weight, build muscles, or just trying to stay fit, AI-powered health apps like MyFitnessPal, Google Fit, or Fitbit come to your rescue. These apps can even trace your daily steps, monitor your heart rate, and sometimes offer personalized workout routines.
AI is transforming the healthcare sector in Nigeria. Health apps today are utilized to offer remote consultations with doctors in places where access to healthcare is poor. Others use A.I. to attempt to diagnose simple health problems with symptom analysis. A.I. has taken health and fitness to the next level as it offers real-time feedback and data; it can even personalize things for you. Be it running around the estate in Lekki or some workout at home in Port Harcourt, AI is just there with you, getting you to keep fit and healthy.
AI in Entertainment: Perfect Playlist for Whatever Your Mood
Imagine getting home from a stressful day, and Spotify or Apple Music creates just the perfect playlist to get into. That could be Netflix recommendations of the perfect movie or series to watch as one unwinds. These are not just lucky guesses; it’s AI analysing your preferences to give you a personalized experience in entertainment.
Music and video streaming services rely on AI when trying to comprehend what you like. They track what kind of music or shows you love listening to or watching and make further suggestions based on those tastes. That is why, if you are into Afrobeats, Burna Boy or Asake will always be on your playlist, and if it is Nigerian movies, Netflix throws in a few Nollywood recommendations your way. Even social media platforms like YouTube or TikTok use AI to keep you glued to the screen. Ever find yourself spending hours on YouTube without knowing it? Blame AI. That is because the algorithms of the platform are suggested to show you only things they know you will love, and for that reason, they become hard to stop watching; it’s like AI knows you better than you know yourself!
AI in Transportation: Smoother Commutes
If you have ever used Google Maps or Uber, you have interacted with AI in transportation. In Nigerian cities, especially Lagos, traffic can be so bad. However, with Google Maps, it is possible to realize real-time traffic updates and suggested alternative routes courtesy of AI. Uber, Bolt, and other taxi-hailing apps would use AI to connect you to the nearest drivers, estimate travel times, and even predict fare costs. AI finds you getting that smooth ride to either the Mainland or Victoria Island. With the modernization of the transport system in Nigeria, AI will surely contribute more significantly to making travel faster and more efficient.
Future of AI in Nigeria
As AI is constantly evolving, applications of the same are growing further in everyday life. In Nigeria, AI uses have already begun in sectors like finance, where fraud can be detected; in agriculture, for crop management; and in education, where personal learning is imparted. Once more Nigerians start embracing AI-driven tools, we can only be optimistic that a future whereby AI will help us in solving some of our biggest challenges from improved healthcare to reduction in traffic congestion might become a reality.
Conclusion
AI is everywhere around us, transforming our lives in subtle but powerful ways. From smart homes, and shopping experiences, to even work-out routines, AI is making things much more efficient and personalized. And the best part? You don’t have to be a techie to benefit from it; it’s already so interwoven into your everyday existence that you’re helped by it in so many ways you probably don’t even realize. Thus, the next time you ask Siri or Google Assistant for help, remember this: AI is your invisible helper, always working behind the scenes.
