ChatGPT is going to take away your job… only if you fear it.

Let me explain.

Over the last 4 decades, I have seen various technological disruptions that put the world in a frenzy. However, I have noticed that each of these disruptions has invariably enriched human life every time, literally every time.

?In the mid 1980s, there was a hue and cry about computerization and loss of jobs due to it – but the outcome? A $240+ Billion industry with several million jobs created, aspiring middle class and India being see as IT Super Power. Banking gave birth to UPI, FinTech and hundreds of innovative startups.

?In the early 2000s, it was the mobile phones. But see where we are now – mobile phones were adopted quickly due to increasing affordability, and the little gadget now has many use cases – from voice - text - browsing - emails - video calls - photography - business apps - banking - gaming…. the list is endless and growing every day.

?Then came AI. The talk of the town was how it would take over our lives and swallow our jobs….. but the fact, it created millions of new jobs and simplified our lives. Today, we use AI daily without even knowing it – Google Maps, F&B Apps, Voice, etc …

?AI is nothing but Assisted Intelligence. In fact, my mom uses AI every day for its voice to text feature in order to communicate with we all. If it has so many use cases and it constantly enriches livelihood of people, where does this fear come from?

?Fear comes from the unknown. With each of these disruptions, those who embraced the change and learned the skills needed to stay relevant with the times found exponential growth not only in their careers, but also in their skillsets.

That doesn’t mean that only coders became successful. It’s about having an understanding of the new tech and actively thinking about its implications to your industry or otherwise.?

I see the same with ChatGPT too. The early adopters, tech companies, key businesses are all looking at how can they leverage this disruption to bring value to their customers / people at large. The ones who crack this code will be the ones enriching the lives of billions and creating an industry hiring millions, overall making life a little bit easier for everybody.

Some of us are already using ChatGPT for some routine stuff and are finding it extremely useful. We are seeing its use cases in Business, Education, IT, Media etc etc. It’s just a matter of time that it would be embedded within our daily lives too without even realising it.

I’m reminded of a quote by writer Douglass Rushoff - “Our fear of technology is really a fear of empowerment. We now have the ability to design the reality we live in, and we have to step up to the occasion.”

So, design your reality. Build your skillset. In this day and age where ample of courses are available at your fingertips (another boon of technology), use it!

And if I may impart some wisdom, “A ‘new skill’ a month keeps the ‘tech fear’ away!”