Artificial Intelligence is no match to natural stupidity!

The latest meme doing rounds on the internet caught my attention. Ten years ago, the underlying mood was Cloud. 5 years ago, it was Blockchain. Now it is Artificial Intelligence.

The conundrum of ‘Are we solving the same problem all the time’ vs. ‘Are we at the cusp of the next big thing’ vs. ‘Are we pivoting to solutions for the heck of it’ is germane to human behavior and often difficult to answer.

“A job well begun is half done” – That adage probably is making all of us lazy. If we were to step back and ruminate if we completed what we set out to do – the answer will probably disappoint us. More importantly, we get false encouragement from people who want us to focus on the ‘current’ problem at hand – and let bygones be bygones.

Leaving things mid-way and jumping on to something new is the most “in-thing”. Seems like this works like some psychedelic drug that appeases most organizations and people alike. And this drug has no remedy.

The disappointment of not being able to complete something that you set out to do almost always is trounced and triumphed by the exuberance of starting something new. Some may call it a small attention span. But others may call it shallowness. We are OK to accept our short attention span. But it is probably time to accept our shallowness.

And at this very point of writing this post I was bored. I asked ChatGPT to complete the story. What you see next is what it responded.

But what if we could break this cycle of shallowness and start to appreciate the value of finishing what we start? What if we could resist the temptation of jumping onto the next shiny thing and instead focus on the satisfaction of completing the current task? What if we could cultivate a habit of persistence and perseverance that would help us overcome any obstacle or challenge that comes our way?

That is the goal of this story: to inspire you to finish what you start, and to show you how to do it. By following the tips and strategies in this story, you will learn how to:

-????????? Set realistic and meaningful goals that align with your purpose and passion

-????????? Break down your goals into manageable and measurable steps that keep you motivated and on track

-????????? Avoid distractions and procrastination that derail your progress and waste your time and energy

-????????? Deal with setbacks and difficulties that test your resolve and resilience

-????????? Celebrate your achievements and reward yourself for your hard work and dedication

Finishing what you start is not only a skill, but a mindset and a lifestyle. It is a way of showing respect to yourself and others, and a way of expressing your commitment and integrity. It is a way of achieving your full potential and fulfilling your dreams.

Are you ready to finish what you start? Then let's begin.

Impressive, isn’t it? I thought as much.

AI pretty much completed my thought. There is probably nothing better I could have written. There is probably nothing better I could have thought about. The lines that discern a man from the machine is getting blurred.

Then my mind started to vacillate between the two extremes of ‘AI killing human creativity and excellence’ on one end versus ‘AI challenging humankind to catapult to the next level of brilliance’ on the other.

The human zest for growth is insatiable. At least there is no empirical evidence of anything to the contrary in the human evolution of the past million years or so. Even with the might of AI or with new technologies of the future (viz., quantum computing, space travel) – the human spirit is indestructible.

AI only knows what we humans (collectively) already know. And, to some degree, AI can possibly extrapolate newer ideas based on what is already known. But human ingenuity, to discern itself from the rest (AI in this case) and still have the wisdom to become one with the rest (humans in this case), is a randomness that machines can’t replicate. Yes, AI’s power (both processing capability and data assimilation) is incomparable for a single human to fathom, let alone compete with. The randomness of our next move; the indecisiveness of our next argument; and the underlying motive of our action, are collectively, probably the single largest strength that humans will always have, that machines can’t replicate. Inherent to this strength lies the human endeavour for millennia to unravel the truth about the human consciousness (Self). As long as we are conscious, we need not fear the might of AI.

OK, if not fear, what else do we do with AI?

-????????? Make it our sounding board?

-????????? Think of it as our companion?

-????????? Use it for keeping us on track?

-????????? Could it be our uncle who knows everything?

-????????? Or the challenger that makes us ‘think outside the box’?

-????????? Could it be someone who enables us to complete a task, rather than jump on to a new one?