Can Artificial Intelligence Support Human Skill in Nutrition Communication?

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Aug 15
3 min read

The second edition of Communicating Nutrition: The Authoritative Guide will feature something prominently that is completely absent from the first edition? What is it? It’s AI, or Artificial Intelligence.

Our goal is to highlight the benefits of AI as well as the potential dangers. We will provide useful suggestions for using it responsibly and ethically.

As a co-author of Chapter 1, I have recently written the introduction to AI for that chapter. This post gives you a sneak peek of what is currently planned:

Artificial Intelligence Supports Human Skill

A relatively new tool for nutrition communicators, especially for performing technical skills, is artificial intelligence, or AI. Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we operate in our personal and professional lives in dramatic ways. A definition of AI can be found in the Resources at the end of the chapter. (This definition is shared below.)

Throughout the book, we will explore how to leverage artificial intelligence to make your communication more effective and efficient while expressing your unique voice, creativity, empathy, and critical thinking abilities. AI does not replace human intelligence or human interaction; it supports them. Communication remains a human activity, connecting people and ideas.

Use AI to streamline and enhance your communication efforts. Employing well-designed prompts, AI can make tedious tasks a breeze and free up time and resources for deeper thinking and more intentional human interaction. Check out the Section 2 Showcase for real-life illustrations of AI transforming how we work in all types of settings around the world. The remaining chapters provide guidance on using AI responsibly and ethically.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

An internet search for a definition of AI brings up various results. NASA defines it this way:

Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform complex tasks normally done by human-reasoning, decision making, creating, etc.

There is no single, simple definition of artificial intelligence because AI tools are capable of a wide range of tasks and outputs, but NASA follows the definition of AI found within the Federal Register, which references Section 238(g) of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019.

Any artificial system that performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight, or that can learn from experience and improve performance when exposed to data sets.
An artificial system developed in computer software, physical hardware, or other context that solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication, or physical action.
An artificial system designed to think or act like a human, including cognitive architectures and neural networks.
A set of techniques, including machine learning that is designed to approximate a cognitive task.
An artificial system designed to act rationally, including an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communicating, decision-making, and acting.