I think AI is a bunch of bullsh*t. The new "global warming!!!" because nobody with half a brain believes global warming anymore.
Can anyone point me to a genuine example of AI taking place instead of people just sitting around talking about it?
It depends on what exactly you mean by "bullshit".
"AI is the new god" -> bullshit
"AI is already smarter than humans" -> bullshit
"It makes economic sense now (or very soon) to 'replace jobs' with AI" -> bullshit
"AI can improve itself indefinitely" -> bullshit
... and many others.
However, that said, I think it is pretty short-sighted to not realize that ChatGPT (or Large Language Models (LLMs) to be more accurate) represents a true shift in AI. LLMs are a real change because they permit non-software people to harness the ocean of computing power that is available. Until ~2021, if I granted some random person on the street, the use of a $10-million compute farm, there would be little or nothing they could actually use it for. They would need to hire a small crew of IT professionals, technicians and engineers to set up their desired compute flow. Out-of-pocket, this would be hundreds of thousands of dollars of labor, required to use a $10-million gift/grant. Now, almost anyone with an idea of something they want to simulate, model, data-mine, etc. can do it, with a very low bar of technical abilities required, and modest cash. Today, a pretty average technical individual could utilize that same $10-million grant quite effectively, with an out-of-pocket investment of just a few hundred dollars. This means that the vast ideas of human creativity can be coupled to the ocean of silicon computational power, which is going to really transform the world. However fast we were making technological progress before 2021 and the emergence of LLMs, we are going 10x-100x faster now. That's a big deal. In fact, it's such a big deal that, within just a few years, I predict you will not be able to avoid interacting with AI technology and robotics on a regular basis, whether you like it or not. Unless we get hit with a CME or something like that, this is the big one...