{"id":33942,"date":"2026-01-12T12:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T18:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/ld\/librarydevelopments\/?p=33942"},"modified":"2026-01-12T12:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T18:57:09","slug":"lets-talk-about-ai-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/ld\/librarydevelopments\/2026\/01\/12\/lets-talk-about-ai-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Bunnies: Who\u2019s Using AI and Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cChicago Sun-Times Prints AI-Generated Summer Reading List With Books That Don\u2019t Exist\u201d read the headline. I knew that by now, three and a half years after ChatGPT had been released, AI had permeated most aspects of our lives including the workplace, but I was stunned to see it so blatantly outed for the world to see. The article<\/a> exposed a writer who had published a summer reading guide where only five of the 15 recommended books were real! He admitted to using AI to help him write the article and didn\u2019t fact check it before publishing it. Seeing a major newspaper getting caught using AI this carelessly was shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that AI use is now commonplace. Many of us tend to think of AI as viral videos, cute bunnies bouncing on trampolines, or questionable images floating around social media, but AI has gone beyond that. If people at a major newspaper are using it, you know the general public is, too. Just how common is AI use? The numbers are eye-opening. Let\u2019s take a look at who\u2019s using AI, what they\u2019re using it for, and which tools they\u2019re choosing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Research Shows About AI Use<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n


A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll<\/a> shows that more than half of adults in the U.S. have used AI\u2014for everything from searching for information to searching for companionship:<\/p>\n\n\n

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That last one, companionship, continues to grow, and I see it evolving into something deeper. I recently met up with an old friend, and as she was catching me up on her life, she shared something that stayed with me. The person she\u2019s currently seeing sent her an image of an Aztec warrior princess with the words \u2018Strong Woman.\u2019 I thought it was sweet that that\u2019s how he sees her, but what really struck me was that he used an AI image-generator to express it. People aren\u2019t just using AI for work or creative projects. They\u2019re using it to express feelings, connect with others, and even seek advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially true for younger users. Not surprisingly, teens use AI even more than adults. According to a study<\/a> released in October of this year by the Center for Democracy & Technology, teens are using AI primarily for help with academics and for personal advice: <\/p>\n\n\n

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 Source: Center for Technology & Democracy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s clear that AI is no longer just a tool for making viral content; it\u2019s becoming part of everyday decisions and interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not All Chatbots are Created Equal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The latest statistics<\/a> on AI chatbot use estimate that over 987 million people worldwide use chatbots. And while there are thousands of chatbots available, five are used far more than the rest. Ranked by popularity, the list includes ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity AI, Claude AI, and Microsoft Copilot, but ChatGPT is king. The chart below shows monthly visits and as you can see, it leads by a wide margin:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Source: Demand Sage<\/a>
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When it comes to overall performance and capability, most credible sources consistently rank ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini as the top three. And although most chatbots are fairly similar, some are better at certain tasks than others. For instance, Claude comes out on top for working with writing and coding, Perplexity is widely recognized as the best tool for research, meanwhile the competition for the best image generator continues to heat up among Google\u2019s Nano Banana, Midjourney, and ChatGPT. 
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Zapier provides a helpful breakdown of each chatbot\u2019s strengths and weaknesses that is consistent with other credible sources:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Source: Zapier<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a detailed description of each chatbot\u2019s strengths and weaknesses read the full article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI in the Workforce: What Employers Expect with AI<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably heard the concern that AI will replace people and take away jobs. It is a legitimate worry. There are <\/em>some companies replacing workers with AI to cut costs, from customer service to software development to administrative roles, but what I keep encountering more often is that people who know how to use AI are going to replace people who don\u2019t use AI. 
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So what are employers expecting workers to use AI for? Across many industries, AI tools are now commonly used to support everyday work tasks including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n