Two years after I was born, in 1977, the Commodore PET hit the market. PET stood for Personal Electronic Transactor which must have been a fancy way of saying “personal computer” because that’s what it was, the first successfully marketed PC for home use. As I type this, I’m not calling up nifty facts about the evolution of computers from the dusty encyclopedias of my mind, mind you. No, I found these tidbits on Wiki…which was definitely not around in 1977. Back in the 70’s, any research on the history of computers would have required a trip to the library and flipping through some card catalogue or Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. That could take hours. My Wiki search took seconds.
Without the advent of the readily available personal computer, I would’ve had a much more difficult path to becoming the writer I am. You see, writing longhand is tedious for me because of my disability and typing on electric typewriters, while a huge step up from manual typewriters, was tedious for anybody who wanted to revise their work.
Today it’s nearly impossible to imagine daily life without computers. We have the power and freedom to live so fast these days.
I reflect on all of this, as artificial intelligence gears up to radically change the world as we know it, whether we are ready or not. We’ve heard the phrase, “when the future comes knocking.” Well, I didn’t hear a knock. I feel like I took a moment to go to the front door to check if my Amazon package had arrived, only to come back to find a future beyond my imagination reclining on my couch, remote in hand.
Lately, my father, who dedicated his career to becoming an extraordinary neurologist, has been talking, speaking and writing a great deal about how AI is going to transform the face of medicine.
Actually, it sounds like AI will have a huge impact on virtually every field and human endeavor. That’s a lot to ponder, let alone try to comprehend. When I began hearing rumbles of this a few years ago, I didn’t even want to think about it. I find I’m often that way with any new technology I find uncomfortable. Somehow, I believe that if I just ignore it, it won’t have a huge impact on the world, my life or the lives of loved ones. I mean, I probably kept my flip phone longer than I should have. That experience should have taught me that clinging to my old phone didn’t make iPhones and Androids go away, it only made me less experienced at figuring out how to integrate a smart phone into my life, which in retrospect wasn’t all that smart.
Now my iPhone is one of my prized possessions. I talk on it, text with it, look things up, and use it to take endless photos. In short, I love it.
Yes, my kneejerk reaction is to fear the changes AI could bring to the world. What if AI puts everyone out of work? What if AI makes humans utterly obsolete? What if AI declares war on all of humankind? What if? What if? What if?
Experience has taught me, however, that learning to work with new technology and learning how to pilot it to create the life I want opens up endless opportunities.
Are there drawbacks to AI? Definitely! Will there be struggles as people learn how to live in a world with AI? Of course!
Can we try to resist and ignore AI? Sure! Yep, we are free to do that.
But just as sure as the personal computer did in the seventies and the latest model of smart phone will come out in the coming weeks or months, AI is still coming. It’s already tried knocking, got bored of waiting, and has just let itself in. So, we might as well learn how to work with AI to make our lives as wonderful as they can be.
Yes, I vote we work together to make the future more magnificent than the past. To do this we may as well fall in love with it, because no matter how we feel about it,
it’s coming anyway.
Want to comment on this story? Join the discussion on Facebook
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read, please consider signing up for my twice-a-month Newsletter for more content like this OR giving me a follow at one of my socials below. Thank you for reading.
JASON FREEMAN is a Professional Speaker and the proud owner of a Speech Impediment. He is also the author of “Awkwardly Awesome: Embracing My Imperfect Best” and a Perseverance Coach.
He excites and encourages his audience to break through the barriers of their own limitations using a method he created, called “Doing your Imperfect Best ™”.
His Imperfect TEDx Talk can be viewed here.
Recent Comments