The AI Train Has Left the Station, and You're on Board
Remember in March 2020 when we all thought we’d be quarantined for a couple weeks and that would be the extent of the Covid 19 pandemic? I remember. I also remember seeing an article from an epidemiologist warning us all that it was going to be a lot longer. I read it and thought, “There’s no way. There’s no way it’s going to go on this long.”
She was right. It did go on that long. As the pandemic continued and weeks turned into months, I often thought about that article and how I felt when reading it. How impossible it seemed at the time.
I’m here to give a similar warning. It’s not about a pandemic—I don’t know enough about those to predict one. It’s about AI. I know many people are as sick of hearing about AI as I was hearing about crypto 7 years ago, but stick with me. I promise not to get too technical.
AI is here and it’s going to change everything.
Elder millennials like myself grew up in an interesting time. We were kids before the internet, and adults after. When we were teens, the internet was still, for most people, new and exciting. People were exploring and asking questions like “what can we do with this thing?” A lot of my internet browsing consisted of discovering some cool thing someone else put online. “Going online” or “surfing the internet” was an activity. It’s not anymore. It’s an everyday state of being. Instead, people go “off the grid” as a means of relaxation. Not being online has become the activity.
This is where AI is right now, a teenager discovering who it is and what it can do. It’s exciting. I know, because I’ve been waiting for it—that spark of excitement about something new like the internet in the 90s. It wasn’t AR, it wasn’t VR, it wasn’t (thank goodness) crypto. It’s AI.
Less than a year ago, my cofounder told me about his AI startup idea. My first thought was, “AI? Really? Like those silly paint names and weird image generator?” Clearly I was not keeping up, and when I learned what recent advances in AI could actually do, I was much more intrigued. Intrigued enough that I joined the company!
When I told people I was cofounding a company based on AI technologies, I was met with some skepticism similar to my own. Likely from people who thought I’d be suggesting they paint their house with “Sand Dan” beige or “Stanky Bean” mauve.
Then ChatGTP was launched, and everything changed. People took notice. People who weren’t imbedded in AI or even tech were talking about ChatGPT and what it could do. I heard about people using ChatGPT to help them meet fitness goals or explain the stock market.
I’m in this huge technology leadership Slack with over 25,000 members. It has a channel focused on AI and ML, which I’m in. Before November 30 (ChatGPT’s release date), there was a post every couple of days. After November 30, the channel supports longer discussions nearly every day. The posts often highlight new innovations and releases and showcase cool things people are making.
Recently, I’ve noticed this feeling bubbling up inside me. It feels like possibility and crocuses popping their little buds through the melting snow. It reminds me of how I felt about the internet circa 1997.
If you’re old enough to remember life before the internet (or smartphones) think about how fast it was before thoughts like “hey this is kind of cool” and “look what I can do with this” turned into “this is part of my daily life and it would be nearly impossible to function without it.” With AI, that change is going to be even faster.
With AI, we’re on a high speed train and there’s no stopping or slowing down. It’s already getting integrated into the applications you use every day and soon not having it will give companies a disadvantage. If you’re going to be using the internet, you’re not going to be able to opt out of AI. You can’t get on a different car, you can only get off the train.
I’m not suggesting anyone get off the train, or try to slow it down (I don’t think we can). There’s no trolley problem here—I’m not posing any moral quandary. I’m letting you know that the train has left the station, and you’re on board. If you choose to stay on, I suggest you enjoy the ride. Figure out what it means for your life. Do what you can to make it an equitable train (because there are going to be biases, and these biases hurt marginalized people). Understand that your presence on the train can change where the train is going.
That’s enough train imagery, I think. I always have a hard time writing conclusions, so I asked ChatGPT to write one for me. Here you go:
In conclusion, AI is set to revolutionize our lives in ways we can only begin to imagine. With its vast potential to transform industries, improve healthcare, increase efficiency, and enhance our daily experiences, AI will undoubtedly become an essential part of our future. As we continue to develop and refine this technology, it will become increasingly integrated into our lives, just like the internet and smartphones did before. While there may be some challenges along the way, the possibilities for a brighter future with AI are limitless. It is an exciting time to be alive, and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
There you have it.