There’s a lot of talk about AI at the moment and a lot of strong feelings on both ends of the spectrum – those who believe it’s the best thing since sliced bread, and those who believe it’s the downfall of humanity or at least the destruction of independent thought.
Personally? I probably fall somewhere in between the two. I’m sure that it will change the way that we work, in the same way that computers and the internet did. It will change how industries work and it may mean shifts in the workforce.
I benefit from the fact that I am old enough to have studied and trained for what I do before AI was anything other than science fiction, that means that I’m not so concerned about not developing my own abilities and style when it comes to things like writing. I’m also young enough that I feel confident enough that I can experiment with AI and adapt to what it can do.
That’s not to say I feel impervious to the possible effects of AI, but what it does mean is that I am doing everything I can to make sure that I know what AI can do, how to make it do what I want it to do and how I can use it to become more effective (both at work and in my personal life).
I suppose what surprises me the most is how little enthusiasm some people have for learning about what it can do and how it can help us. I constantly feel behind in terms of what AI might be able to do because I am not a tech bro and certainly not a coder, but I have set up projects in Claude (we only have access to the free version at work, not Cowork) and I have spent time training Claude to understand my style and voice. In contrast, some people seem to still only be using AI as a sort of enhanced search engine and don’t seem to be that interested in unlocking its potential. Maybe it’s fear, maybe it’s habit, maybe it’s just ambivalence, but it baffles me. This is a new tool available to us and ultimately, I think it’ll be a case of adapt or die.
I choose to adapt. I choose to evolve. I choose to make AI my little bitch. Luddite I am not.
But, I think the key thing for us all to learn, is when and how AI can be used to improve our lives, and when it’s either not necessary or downright unhelpful/destructive. As with all things (like social media), there will be a balance to find. We aren’t likely to be there for some time, but I’m looking forward to getting over the hump of AI slop and it becoming just a background part of how we live our lives.
