AI Futures: An Anthology Excerpt. Part 4 (of 4)

“The Great RenAIssance” Approaches: Why 2023 Was the New 1995

The “Great RenAIssance” Has Begun

As I reflect on my journey these three major movements of technology, (the Personal Computer, the Internet, and now AI) I am struck that the first two feel increasingly like extensions of the Industrial Age, where we’re given more efficient tools to do the work ‘the system’ demands for our economy to flourish. While the transition from hands-on labor to knowledge work certainly made the work environment less physically dangerous, the burden of getting the work done at all costs is still placed squarely on our collective shoulders. Instead of freeing us from over-work, these technologies increased expectations that we can deliver more and faster and cheaper than we could before. We’re still the necessary cogs in the machinery of business.

AI feels different. Generative AI in particular is not simply an efficiency tool, it is an amplifier of the person using it. It generates alongside its human counterpart and provides them skills they didn’t previously possess. The traditional roadblocks to creating work vaporize and you’re able to bring ideas to life in minutes that previously would have taken hours, or days, or weeks. Most ideas never make it out of our heads because our attempts to manifest them are often stopped but implementation details like not knowing enough about the subject, not having the skills, or not understanding the bigger picture, etc. Generative AI doesn’t complain, doesn’t judge, but rather does everything in its power to give you what you want. It’s like having a cross between an eager intern, a golden retriever and an idiot savant at your beck and call. It’s just sitting there, ready and willing to do anything you ask of it.

Don’t get me wrong, AI is a tool that increases your productivity quite dramatically. If you’re a writer, you can write faster. If you’re a coder, you’ll see an increase in your efficiency and output. Everyone I know using AI for “What they do,” can’t imagine returning to the way they used to do things. That said, my biggest surprise about AI, is the things it allows me to do beyond “my skills.” Generative AI is like a video game boost that levels up skills you didn’t even know you wanted, much less had. Most people accept that they are excellent at one or two things, decent at 4 or 5 things, and then just horrible at all the other things. AI changes the equation. Everything levels up.

The 10,000 Hour Rule is DEAD!

Malcom Gladwell popularized this idea in his popular book, Outliers, where you need to put in 2-5 years of focused time to get excellent at a given task. One of the “face-meltiest” things about AI for me, is that skills I am horrible at (like the Python application I wrote in 90 minutes,) are now at my disposal. I can instantly become a botanist, or a historian, or a programmer, or an artist, or a world-class business consultant. I can analyze data, and write complicated algorithms or event meal plans for my family of 4 that are nutritionally sound and account for the restrictions of everyone in my family.

It is impossible for me to describe to people what is happening in my brain as I am slowly accepting the fact that almost anything I previously thought was a limitation suddenly isn’t. “Oh, I can’t start that project because I don’t know enough about “recessive genetic manipulation...” Well now I do. “Oh, I don’t want to start that project, because I’m not sure what key points investors are most interested in hearing...” Well, now I do. “I don’t think I can take on this new client because I don’t have any creative ideas for their marketing plan...” Well, now I do.

I am now confronting (embracing?!) the reality that “writer’s block” is a thing of the past. It’s actually terrifying because it’s such a great excuse. Writer’s block stems from fear and anxiety or not feeling prepared, or educated, or skilled enough. Every time I start a project now, if those thoughts start floating around my head, I think, “Fire up ChatGPT,” and within minutes I am WAY beyond the doubts that were trying to take over.

Historically, when I am creating something, 90% of my creative energy went to the low level “blocking and tackling” of getting to the first draft. Now I get to that stage in minutes, and I spend 90% of my creative energy on refining, or better yet, being inspired to try even more ideas. I am creating more, more creative, and better executed work than ever in my life. I am also creating things I never thought would be possible for me to create. I have always considered myself a Renaissance Man, capable of being decent at a lot of things. The downside is that I rarely feel truly excellent at anything... until now. My brain is on fire and my work inspires rather than intimidates me.

In my exploration of AI, from image generation to language models like ChatGPT, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of these tools. They are not just facilitating tasks or automating processes; they are opening new avenues for creativity, problem- solving, and expression. The potential of AI, as I see it, is akin to the impact of the printing press or the industrial revolution – it's a seismic shift that redefines the landscape of human capability.

AI Makes Humanity More Important, not Less

Imagine a world where every person who has access to this technology can bring all their ideas to life effortlessly. Imagine what it will be like if AI automates the frustrating, low- level work, and frees us to do the work we’ve always wanted to do. I’m on a mission right now to demystify Generative AI for as many people as possible, because the more I learn about thes tools, the more I realize that’s a world I want to live in.

I started the AI Salon (aisalon.mn.co) and a TikTok channel (tiktok.com/@ailearninglab) the week after ChatGPT launched, because I wanted to cast as wide a net as possible to find other people who were discovering their own superpowers with AI as their wingman. I love watching people have their AI “Kevin McCallister Moments,” (Remember Home Alone?) where their jaws literally drop open and realize their life will never be the same. To bring in another movie metaphor. Getting your head around what AI makes possible is truly a “red pill” moment, where you can’t unsee what is now possible.

Creating community was my first instinct back in 1994 when I realized there must be people that know more about this “WWWn thing” than I do, and what I learned was that we were ALL trying to figure it out, and the value of that community was significantly more important than any of the individual technologies we were trying desperately to master. The relationships I forged in those early, primordial days of the Web are still going strong to this day. We got to share the experience of being there at the beginning. It was remarkable, and electric, and I believe, to the person, we all felt luck to be a part of it. It’s de ja vu all over again.

The difference between the early days of the Web, and now is that Generative AI is significantly more powerful, will have a more profound impact on work and is moving incomprehensibly fast. For reference, for adoption of the World Wide Web, it took about 6 years to get to 100 million users. ChatGPT took 6 WEEKS. One of my greatest fears right now, and the thing that is motivating me to passionately reach as many people as possible is that I don’t think we are prepared for what’s coming, and we believe we have more time than we actually do to prepare for it.

The End. CLICK to Buy Book

AI Futures: An Anthology is a exploration at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human creativity. This collection brings together a diverse group of humans ranging from teachers to storytellers, civil service workers to writers, technologists to thinkers, creatives, engineers and futurists - all united by their early adoption and experimentation with AI tools. This anthology showcases the stories of these pioneers who delved into the world of generative AI not as technologists but as novices venturing into unknown territories.

The book features essays from: Lee Chazen , Cyndi Coon , Dr Wendy Elford , Camilla Esser , Peter Kaminski , Michael Lennon , and Kyle Shannon .