I’ve been having the same conversation a lot lately. People I know, some from the technology world and some just friends, keep pulling me into it. It’s probably happened ten or fifteen times in the last few months.
They’re scared about the future. They wonder what’s going to happen to jobs and careers, and how things will change, shift and evolve.
I tell them that, at the bare minimum, this is like when we moved from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. Things change. Work that was once commonplace may be taken over by robots, AI and other automation.
But we may also be living in the most unique moment in human history.
For the first time ever, almost anyone who can type, write or speak can work with a computer without being a computer expert. In everyday language, they can use technology to define a problem, work through it, and maybe even solve it. People who don’t play an instrument are making music. People who’ve never studied art are creating visual art, animation and special effects. All of it through plain language, not code.
I also get the fearful questions. What if we lose control? What if AI takes over? What if it decides it doesn’t need us? Maybe I’m too much of an optimist, but I don’t think that’s where this goes.
Here’s why. These days I use AI at a level very few people do. I’m designing and building solutions for AI, using AI, while running my company on AI. It gets more woven into my life every day.
And one of the most surprising side effects of working with AI as a partner, not just a tool, is that I’m getting time back while accomplishing more than I ever have. In nine days I did what would have taken a ten-person team about eight weeks. My part was minutes to an hour at a time, making sure what we designed and built was done correctly, tested and enforced.
I spent the rest of that time with my friends, my girlfriend, my kids and my father, instead of sitting in front of a screen trying to make things happen. And I did it while spending four of those days at Reno Startup Week, meeting people and going to sessions and events.
AI is here, and it’s getting better. It already lets each of us do more than we ever could alone. As we learn to use these tools well, whatever they evolve into, we’ll spend less time on mundane tasks. We’ll put our minds, passions and skills into better things: improving the world, starting new businesses, and finding more time for the people we love.
This is a huge change, with more potential than anything I’ve ever seen. It isn’t something to fear. It’s a time to embrace it and move forward.
