1. Introduction to AI and UX

Name any field that’s full of complex, intractable problems and that has gobs of data, and you’ll find a field that is actively looking to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI). There are direct consumer applications of AI, from virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri to the algorithms powering Facebook and Twitter’s timelines, to the recommendations that shape our media consumption habits on Netflix and Spotify. MIT is investing over a billion dollars to reshape its academic program to “create a new college that combines AI, machine learning, and data science with other academic disciplines.” The college started September 2019 and will expand into an entirely new space in 2022. Even in areas where you’d not expect to find a whiff of AI, it emerges: in the advertising campaign to its new fragrance called Y, Yves Saint Laurent showcased a model who is a Stanford University graduate and a researcher in machine vision. The commercial showcases AI as hip and cool—even displaying lines of Python code, as well as striking good looks to sell a fragrance line. AI has truly achieved mainstream appeal in a manner not seen before. AI is no longer associated with geeks and nerds. AI now sells product.