Like most significant events in my life, my first encounter with artificial intelligence happened by accident. It was 3am and I had exchanged insomnia for herbal tea and a quiet internet search. When sales assistant Naomi popped up in a box on the screen, inviting me to chat about her clothing range, my tired brain filled with questions – but none of them were about clothes.

Why was Naomi at work at 3am? Was she in an overseas call centre or a local with a terrible time management problem? And could I trust that she was really a sales assistant, or was I about to be groomed?

Is a relationship possible when a chatbot can’t even explain why they’re up at 3am in the morning?Credit: Dreamstime

“Why are you at work so early?” I typed?

“So I can answer your questions,” came the reply.

I immediately logged off, deciding Naomi was too weird to talk to. It wasn’t until the morning that I realised she was probably a computer program.

Fast-forward a decade, and far more sophisticated AI is everywhere, including responsive internet searchers and entities with an insatiable appetite for conversation. Gradually, I have accepted this technology into my life and like 55 per cent of recently surveyed Australians, I have seen benefits from regular AI use, especially when it comes to accessing information.

I love the instant connection to facts and figures that responsive internet........

© The Sydney Morning Herald