Subtle, Right?

Imagine being told this by someone you respect:

You're being Dumb...

I had this conversation earlier in the week with my mentor. I'll share the juicy, relevant bits:

The conversation

Mentor: So Johan, remind me again what you are doing?

Me: Sure, I help people define their personal goals & objectives so they can align their career in such a manner that it helps them achieve this.

Mentor: And this is something that you've been doing your whole career?

Me: Well... no, not directly... but indirectly yes

Mentor: That's interesting. Because when I look at your CV, I see someone with a gift in solving business operations challenges. 25 Years of it. With a focus on using the right technology to enhance people and processes.

Me: Yes...?

Mentor: Well, I think - You're Being Dumb.

Me: Dumb?

Mentor: I'm sure you can help people perfectly well with career development. But you have a different gift and you should focus on bringing that to market. Now more than ever before.

Me: Damnit...

The Realization

There was much more to the conversation, but fundamentally he did to me what I've been doing to others over the last couple of months.

Opened my eyes.

Now - stay with me here - because I suspect you'll find this interesting.

Influential Changes

I've been fortunate to see and experience many technology events over the last 30 years that became fundamental enhancers to our ability and our capability to engage and do business.

I believe the 3 I highlight below were some of the most impactful things that happened in relation to personal capability. And I selected these 3 because they explain Nr 4:

Data Accessibility:

I remember working at a small advertising company in the late 1990's that published a weekly small-ads paper. Design and content had to be done by a Tuesday evening at 21:00 so that it could be printed and distributed in time for the public to buy on a Thursday morning.

And to get the design file to the printer, the head designer would get in his car and drive 60kms with a storage device to the printers, because otherwise the data for the new paper would not arrive in time. It was more effective to save to a device, unplug, get in car, drive 60kms, park, walk to office, plug in and download data... a 2 hour trip.

It sound absolutely bizarre to think about that these days. Both that you had to drive data to another location and... that you would consume small-ads primarily in physical print, but there you go.

The tremendous speeds with which we can access data these days - and the various different types of data access technology (wire, wireless, cellular, satellite), the almost accepted accessibility everywhere we go in the developed world - AND the significantly enhanced security around it makes cloud computing possible, live streaming of events, etc.

This was a significant commerce and personal enabler.

The Smartphone:

When smartphone type technology became available to the general public, it made the world almost immediately smaller and more accessible.

Because up to that point, if you wanted to get online and surf the web or do research or communicate with others you either had to have a PC / Laptop with internet capability or you had to make use of these shitty little websites designed for feature phones or the most basic of email applications.

The stats on smartphone usage is simply staggering and our modern way of live, the way we do business, the way we communicate have all changed and are still changing due to how smartphones are used.

Yes - these things can be a scourge. We have to actively manage our availability and reachability. And it has created a brand new type of jerk - but as an enabler for human potential it stands as a significant milestone.

Social Media Platforms:

Yes, you can sell almost anything through it. But let's be honest - you could sell almost anything before social media platforms existed. And yes - it can consume you with unproductive, even poisonous content if you let it.

But, I submit, for the first time in our history these platforms provided the ability for literally anyone to communicate, market and do business with anyone else across the world, where you did not have to develop, host and maintain something. Bolstered by new payment models like PayPal, etc.

Yes - these things can be a problem. But it allows ordinary people to do things they could never have done before.

The Next Fundamental Enablers - AI

And in particular for us ordinary folk, Large Language Models (LLMs) or NLPs (Natural Language Processing models).

In short: The typical software we use today in our day to day business / professional life (all the programs you have open right now or use on a daily basis) are all designed to enhance productivity and output capability. It helps us do work faster, it makes the work more productive and it allows us to track the work and results more efficiently than ever before. Mostly - all of this thanks to the personal computer and the items I listed before.

And this is the mistake I believe most people are making. They view AI tools like Chat-GPT, Claude, BERT, and Gemini also as productivity enhancers. And sure - they can help you do a faster email, compile documents, analyze data, draw pictures (not talking about specialized GAN or Diffusion models). They do indeed enhance productivity if you that is all you want.

But...

This my view

Where these AI models can really shine - and where their true place will be - is as human enhancers.

• Traditional non-AI software enhances how well and how fast we can work,
• AI models will enhance our own capabilities and what we can do.

It is like strapping on a 2nd brain that can do amazing computational things and then feeds that back into the human brain to come up with ideas and strategies to execute.

Don't believe me?

I invite you to read this fascinating case study of how a human/computer chess team beat grandmasters of the game.

The Change

Right now technology is making its next big leap.

AI tools will not replace humans, not yet anyway, but they will change how humans operate and function. Humans (and businesses) who can effectively incorporate this tremendous computational power to enhance their capability (not just productivity) will probably the next evolution we experience.

It is right here, it is already happening the choice we have is either to embrace, learn and adapt - or fall behind.

The Focus

If there is one thing my 25 years of optimizing businesses with effective technology solutions has taught me, it is how to help both businesses and individuals get familiar with technology and understand how to adopt it for both personal and professional enhancement.

Am I Being Dumb Now?

Perhaps... Time will tell.

But I believe now, the best way I can assist individuals and businesses is to help them understand how to adopt these AI tools as capability enabler to significantly enhance their personal and professional capabilities.

How to understand and use these AI tools as a guide, coach, mentor and assistant in your pocket. What they can help you do - and where their limits are. How to get the most from them, whilst mitigating any relevant, contextual risks.

You see - these AI tools are as dumb as they will ever be right now.

They will only get better, they will only get more effective and they are going to change how we do things. And those who learn how to use them best will have a significant advantage over those that don't.

How Can I Make This Work For Me?

That - is a good question.

We're putting together an introductory course to help people understand how to think about these things as Personal Capability Enablers, not just more software applications and tools.

Regardless of where you work or what you do. Whether you are a factory worker, or an engineer, or a lawyer, or an admin clerk, or a student, or a product owner, or a... doesn't matter.

This is for people who understand the choice here: Either you learn how to use this game-changing technology to super-enhance your own capability and effectiveness, or you're going to be left behind.

So - if you'd like to get more information about this short course then please click the link below, add your name to the list and I'll make contact soon.

Click here to register for more information.

(Please note this is not a technical course and you don't need a computer or programming background.)

Best wishes

Johan