# What practical tasks are AIs already good at today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** ai\ **Created:** [March 24, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737 "2026-03-24T20:49:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/81 "2026-04-15T14:07:22Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Done! This is quite amusing. Thanks 😃 > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Then we set it loose to read and post all day every day on our behalf, while we go on about our respective IRL existences. I also often wonder about this as a way to memorialize someone after their passing. Their “digital ghost” can keep on texting with you, sending you fake pics, etc. I think there was a Black Mirror episode about that? I could see maybe widowed parents wanting to use it to pretend like the other is still there, until the kid is old enough to understand death… ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/82 "2026-04-15T14:13:26Z")
Anyway, one more mundane but intriguingly useful tool: AI-generated [bookmarklets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookmarklet). A bookmarklet is basically a “mod” to an existing webpage/website, like a little script that gets injected to add new features to a site or override some existing functionality. They used to be popular in the 2000s or so. Now AIs can trivially write even moderately complex ones. Here’s an example from another thread: [Is there a way to get a list of more than the top 24 posters in a thread? - #3 by Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-get-a-list-of-more-than-the-top-24-posters-in-a-thread/1029073/3) [![](https://fightingignorance.org/5530ed4d-5f29-426a-bc06-12d7b6138525-2026-04-15-000001.jpg) ](https://fightingignorance.org/5530ed4d-5f29-426a-bc06-12d7b6138525-2026-04-15-000001.jpg) That lists all the posters in a given SDMB thread, counts how many times they’ve posted, and points you to all their posts in that thread. It only took 2-3 prompts and a few minutes to make (with Gemini or Claude, I forget). It’s just a random example. Elsewhere, I’ve used similar bookmarklets to do trivial data scrapes, like looking at a page full of monthly data with prev/next arrows, and having an AI write a bookmarklet to automatically page through all available years and download a CSV of it instead. The Web is one of the last remaining open/viewable/modifiable forms of software we still have, and bookmarklets are a simple way to exploit that openness. [Userscripts](https://www.tampermonkey.net/scripts.php?locale=en) would be the more “official”, but more complex, way to do these. Bookmarklets are just drag-and-drop by contrast. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/83 "2026-04-19T04:13:04Z")
I’m sure this was already mentioned in some fashion but, even if you’re opposed to AI for “art”, image gen and manipulation can be useful for prototyping or brainstorming. Had an idea to put a silk plant behind my monitor to fill the pace and soften the grey corner. Before heading to the store or Amazon, it was trivial to upload a photo into Gemini and ask for a silk plant filling the corner to halfway up the exposed window. Actually it went high the first time but saying “reduce by 33%” got me where I was thinking. Still deciding but this makes it a heck of a lot easier to know what it’d be looking like. [![](https://i.ibb.co/dw30fB5Z/IMG-20260418-222517.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/dw30fB5Z/IMG-20260418-222517.jpg) [![](https://i.ibb.co/YFKpzPdX/Gemini-Generated-Image-gdqh4agdqh4agdqh.png) ](https://i.ibb.co/YFKpzPdX/Gemini-Generated-Image-gdqh4agdqh4agdqh.png) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/84 "2026-04-19T17:33:42Z")
Inna and I are thinking of painting the upstairs living room and, using the technique above by @Jophiel, are using Gemini and asking ‘what does this room look like if it were painted using Sherwin Williams SW1234 colored paint’. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/85 "2026-04-19T17:45:56Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > using Gemini and asking ‘what does this room look like if it were painted using Sherwin Williams SW1234 colored paint’. Great idea! I didn’t stop to think I could tell it the brand’s actual color number. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/86 "2026-04-19T17:49:30Z")
Did it work? How close to the actual paint was its simulation? Can you tell it to do the same with different times of day and lighting conditions? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/87 "2026-04-19T17:51:35Z")
One more small but helpful thing: It’s pretty good at solving “tip of my tongue” forgetful moments, like “What is that movie / book / story / research topic / device where so and so did so and so?” For anything moderately well known, this works MUCH better than a search engine or a naive Wikipedia search. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/88 "2026-04-19T17:55:25Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Did it work? How close to the actual paint was its simulation? Can you tell it to do the same with different times of day and lighting conditions? To be honest, we won’t know until we paint it, lol, but it’s pretty close. And yes, you can do different lighting situations. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/89 "2026-04-19T19:21:48Z")
Bitchin’ stereo & LP collection, man! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/90 "2026-04-19T23:21:48Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > it was trivial to upload a photo into Gemini and ask for a silk plant filling the corner to halfway up the exposed window > Replace the plant with a horrifying writhing mass of giant silkworms. [![](https://i.ibb.co/HfMY4ZHz/Gemini-Generated-Image-s0ln25s0ln25s0ln.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/HfMY4ZHz/Gemini-Generated-Image-s0ln25s0ln25s0ln.jpg) In case you want to go in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/91 "2026-04-20T00:11:56Z")
Huh. You know, I can’t say that ever came up in my considerations for home office decor, but I can see the appeal. Passive income and all that. And plus, if I get enough of them they might just help block the glare from the window. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/92 "2026-04-20T00:17:11Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > And plus, if I get enough of them they might just help block the glare from the window. I mean, they could make a curtain. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/93 "2026-04-20T00:27:55Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I read something somewhere that AI is making a real hash of online matchmaking. > > According to whatever article it was, during the initial written phase, he or she demonstrates they’re articulate, intelligent, and well-read. But on the first date somebody totally different shows up. Namely the real person who was using an AI to write their communications. Happiness does not ensue. This is not new. In the short story “Trouble Down at Tudsleigh”, first published in 1935, PG Wodehouse relates the (fictional) story of Freddie Widgeon attempting to woo the attractive April Carroway at a country retreat. Freddie learns that April is a big fan of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and to impress her, he memorizes the text of “The Lady of Shalott”. But knows nothing else about the writer or any of his works. Things hilariously do not go as planned, but rather instructively, aren’t that much different from the pretentious proclivities and motivations of today! 😄 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/94 "2026-04-20T00:29:03Z")
This was also the plot of _Roxanne_ with Steve Martin and Darryl Hannah. (And, of course, the Cyrano de Bergerac original.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/95 "2026-04-20T00:30:32Z")
Much of the plot of **[Cyrano de Bergerac (play) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac_(play))**, written in 1897, some 130 years ago, is the same line. Somebody trying to portray someone they are not to woo their intended mate. ETA: Ninjaed by 1 minute! Swords at Dawn there, Good Sir John. And no ringers! 🙂 ETA2: Gaah!?!. I originally typed 1797, then tried to fix it to 1897, but typoed a second time to 1997. All good now. I _think_. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/96 "2026-04-20T00:31:12Z")
Damn, time goes fast. 1997 was 130 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/97 "2026-04-20T01:23:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Bitchin’ stereo & LP collection, man! 😉 You think I care about AI? I only posted to stealth brag. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Replace the plant with a horrifying writhing mass of giant silkworms. They’re getting all over my turntable. Pass. Both turntable and AI related, I found an old 1967 ad for my other turntable that’s in the shop and used Gemini to help clean it up and lightly colorize it, printed it at 8x12" for a whole $3.50 at CVS, bought a $9 fake-walnut frame at Amazon and it’ll look nice on the wall ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/98 "2026-04-30T22:08:10Z")
I asked Claude, Sonnet 4.6 adaptive, to run an SEO analysis on our company’s website. It produced a 5-page report, organized what needed to be done from simple fixes to tasks requiring a lot of input/thought, and I sent the report to our web designer, telling her to implement specific solutions ASAP and that I’ll take time next week to do the items which require client input. My prompt was simple, probably a bit too simple, but it did a decent job. Claude was quite critical of our website (in terms of lead generation), and that’s fine. I did tell Claude to use a nicer tone in the report, lol. Here was my prompt: > [@](#): > > Your role is a website designer with a background in SEO and web-based lead generation. > > Our website is [www.BookkeeperSA.com](http://www.BookkeeperSA.com) > > Could you analyze the website please? Our goal with this website is lead generation, with demonstration of competency second. > > When done, create a report I can send to our web designer. > > Be sure to highlight deliverables that can be done ASAP, then those deliverables which need our input. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/99 "2026-05-01T03:04:06Z")
I missed the word “ad” at first and thought you had somehow hooked Gemini up to a 3D printer to help restore an antique turntable. I was both very, very confused and also very impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737/100 "2026-05-01T03:05:46Z")
What did it suggest? Was it just like missing keywords here and there, markup details, or more substantial rewrites? Did it say anything about optimization for LLMs and not just older search engines? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-practical-tasks-are-ais-already-good-at-today/1028737.md?page=6)