Train your tootle

Tootle ~ noun ~ "More commonly known to the rest of the world as noodle, yet my preteen girls decided it is way more fun to ask for tootles than noodles, and I have to agree." So here we are, discussing the importance of training your tootle, that majestically unique muscle that is protected by your skull—your brain.

If you have been following the "evolution" of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – and just for the record, AI is deemed to have started between 1950 and 1956 already – or more recently, large language models (LLMs), the one thing you may have heard often is on how much data the model was trained on. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claud, Lama and many more did not magically appear.

No, it took a ton of computing power, access to data and time. The more these models are trained, the better they get, and it is now going beyond just the "chat" models with the gains seen in OpenAI's Sora – text to video model – reaching that "wow" factor level, an example of that can be viewed by clicking here.

So, just like the most sophisticated and advanced AI models, your brain needs exercise and stimulation to grow and improve. We live in an era where access to information is more readily and easily available than ever. If you search for almost anything, you will find a credible source on the topic. Yet we live in a world where instant gratification and the notion that we are entitled to get things, success and progress without putting in the hard yards is rife. Everyone wants to skip the struggles within the journey, not knowing that that's where character is built. And the evolution of AI may worsen that mindset if people take a stance of – hmm, no, I don't have to go through the effort, I'll just get AI to do it. But, as always, it doesn't have to be like that.

So, what does this age of AI mean for you, and how should you view personal growth and learning new things? As with so many other things, you will always have a choice.

You can either embrace AI's potential, put in the effort to understand it and learn how to use it effectively and responsibly, or you can ignore it and hope that it won't affect you too much. And we all know that hope is not a strategy. AI is transforming every aspect of our lives; we can't afford to be complacent or passive. We need to be ready to adapt, innovate, collaborate, and create value. Be prepared to revise any system, scrap any method, or abandon any theory if the success of the job requires it, as Henry Ford said. We must focus on "what can be" rather than what is.

There are, therefore, two very distinct paths when it comes to AI – you are either going to use it to enhance your capabilities and your personal value proposition, whether it is to your employer or your customers, or somewhere, someone is going to build an AI solution or a product that may replace you altogether. One quote on AI has stuck with me: "AI won't replace humans; it is humans that use AI that will replace those that don't". I don't see AI as something to fear but instead as an opportunity to take a deep dive into something fascinating.

Identify items on your list—it would be so nice if I could solve this or make it more manageable—and determine if there is an AI solution for that. Train your tootle in the art of the possible! And the beauty of it all: then you can share that newfound knowledge with others as well!

AI advancements are moving rapidly. Don't get lazy and simply try to sit on the tube in the lazy river ride—get out your surfboard and ride that wave! The future is what we make of it. It starts with you. I hope that the next time you see them, you may view those tootles a bit differently and see them as a constant reminder that anything is possible if you put a well-trained mind to it.