The era of Artificial Intelligence is here, and boy are people freaking out.  Fortunately, I am here to bring the good news: AI will not destroy the world, and in fact may save it. First, a short description of what AI is: The application of mathematics and software code to teach computers how to understand, synthesize, and generate knowledge in ways similar to how people do it. AI is a computer program like any other – it runs, takes input, processes, and generates output. AI’s output is useful across a wide range of fields, ranging from coding to medicine to law to the creative arts. It is owned by people and controlled by people, like any other technology. A shorter description of what AI isn’t: Killer software and robots that will spring to life and decide to murder the human race or otherwise ruin everything, like you see in the movies . An even shorter description of what AI could be: A way to make everything we care about better.