Are We Ready for the Disruption That is Coming?

'By using generative AI, mere mortals turn into instant geniuses. Picture having a window into all of humanity’s knowledge in your hand. Well actually, there’s no need — it’s happening right now.' - How To Think About AI - Schelling AI, July 2024

'Every single AI leader that I can think of says that AGI - Artificial General Intelligence - (a complex system that can outperform a human team) is 3 to 5 years away. That's crazy right! The next step is ASI - Artificial Super Intelligence. Very few people are ready for this.' - Emad Mostaque

Are the vast majority of people on our planet about to be thrown into a flat-spin and have their lives totally discombobulated?

And, if so, can we mitigate against what leading experts are predicting is on the immediate horizon?

Welcome to Issue 83 of 1idea

I've just finished viewing a profound near-future AI discussion where the consensus opinion is that they 'don't think people are ready for the level of societal disruption that is coming'.

See DeepSeek vs. Open AI - The State of AI w/ Emad Mostaque & Salim Ismail

The above video discussion highlights Emad Mostaque as one of the leading thinkers on the topic of AI (Alternative Intelligence). It is well worth listening to over and over again.

Emad is the founder of Intelligent Internet and the former CEO and Co-Founder of Stability AI, a company funding the development of open-source music- and image-generating systems such as Dance Diffusion, Stable Diffusion, and Stable Video 3D.

The Intelligent Internet website refers us to the article "How to think about AI".

Some outtakes from the article:

'AI is here. It’s accelerating faster than most can comprehend. Again, we’re not talking about some distant future; we’re talking about now. Choices today will determine whether AI becomes our greatest ally or our most formidable challenge.'

'The reality is, AI is going to change everything. Absolutely everything. The way humanity works, creates, and solves problems. The way we all live.'

'There is still a choice. Together, we can shape this change. We can guide it toward a future where AI enhances human creativity, solves our biggest challenges, and reveals incredible possibilities.'

'Or we can sleepwalk into a future where AI widens inequality, erodes privacy, and leaves many behind.'

'The choice is all of ours. But we need to make it now. Not next year, not next election cycle. Now.'

• AI Atlantis is Rising. 100 billion AI agents and a billion robots at your fingertips — all as competent as university graduates — is our imminent reality. (Friedman coined the term "AI Atlantis," referring to a new digital realm of virtually limitless AI resources; Friedman, N. (2024, March). The AI Landscape: Last Year & Years Ahead. In 2024 Abundance Summit. Abundance360, Los Angeles, CA.)
• Current Models are Just the Beginning. We’re on the cusp of an explosion in AI capabilities that will make today’s tech look primitive.

• The Fundamental Nature of Work, Creativity, and Problem-Solving is Changing. Industries ranging from software to healthcare, education to entertainment, are on the brink of transformation.

• Individual Agency Will Soar. AI will provide people with more choices, time, and capabilities, than ever before.

So what do we all do? Society needs to act in a way that’s fast and considered:

• Invest in AI Education and Literacy. For everyone. Your grandma needs to understand this as much as your software engineer neighbour.

• Push for Open, Collaborative Approaches to AI Development. Tech giants or governments must not monopolise this power.

• Rethink Our Economic Models. The old economic paradigms are breaking down. New frameworks that can handle the reality of AI Atlantis are needed.

• Develop Standards for AI Ethics and Regulations. Ensure AI enhances human potential rather than diminishes it.

• Encourage Global Cooperation. AI doesn’t respect borders. There needs to be a combined, international effort to tackle the challenges and make use of the opportunities.

Some further learnings to look for from the above video are:

50:25 '..being in person is going to be good for your job right now because if you're remote you'll be the first to go that's a really important point. If you look at Lovable, Bolt, Cursor, like that takes you up to a decent level and they can build whole apps and stacks and they'll just get better and better as the base models get better and better.'

51:49: 'In fact, one of the things we started to do for non-engineers who apply to work at our company is they have to do a 30-minute Cursor course this kind of AI assisted IDE doesn't matter what they are, HR or anything, and then they have to tell us how do their views of the world change. So what does that course teach somebody? How to build an app for HR. How to build an app for anything just by talking to it. Its building the app almost live. You can do that today in chat GPT with canvas. You can build a react app live you could like replicate the entire Wii screen or build a HR application.'

'There's real jobs and real people that have to think what's next and they have to become experts in AI assisted and they have to be in person otherwise you're going to start to get disrupted. I remember last summer 38% of IT placements in India were unplaced from the top university. In the US we're hiring much fewer topflight MBAs. Lawyers too. Harvard is way down on its employment selections. I don't think people are ready for the disruption'.

The above insights led this non-engineer to search for the 30-minute course mentioned above, and I discovered these links that seem informative:

Article: Bolt vs Cursor vs Replit vs Lovable : AI Coders Comparison Guide - 'AI-powered coding tools are transforming the way software is developed, offering a variety of features tailored to different user needs. This guide by Greg Isenberg provides an in-depth comparison of four prominent platforms— Bolt vs Cursor vs Replit vs Lovable —by analyzing their strengths, limitations, and ideal use cases.'

Video: I ranked every AI Coder: Bolt vs. Cursor vs. Replit vs Lovable - see below:

I must admit to being confused as to the audio reference by Emad Mostaque to Cursor.. or was it Cursa? Both have relevance:

App Development | Free Online Courses + Free Certificate - https://cursa.app/free-courses-app-development-online - 'Our App Development courses offer comprehensive training in various programming languages and frameworks, equipping you with the knowledge and expertise to develop robust and scalable applications. There are 24 100% Free Online Courses with Free Certificate.'

Great viewing:

This Y Combinator video explores the AI revolution's impact on startups and the future of work. It highlights how AI is creating unprecedented growth opportunities, with companies achieving million-dollar ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) much faster than before, often by selling AI agents to businesses. The discussion emphasizes the shift from blitz scaling to leveraging AI for greater productivity with fewer employees. Moreover, it touches upon how founders are inventing novel product development strategies that are centered around rapid iteration and a willingness to reevaluate the best and latest technologies. It also explores the potential for AI to maximize human agency and freedom.

And one more for great viewing:

A wide-ranging discussion between Jordan Peterson and Marc Andreessen, focusing on the intersection of technology, culture, and politics. Peterson seeks Andreessen's insights, particularly regarding his "Techno-Optimist Manifesto," and how it aligns with the "Alliance for Responsible Citizenship" (ARC). The conversation explores concerns about the rise of "wokeness" and its influence on technology, especially in the context of AI alignment. A significant portion of the discussion centers around the deliberate manipulation of AI training data to reflect specific ideological viewpoints, and the potentially dangerous consequences of this. Andreessen also details what he sees as a growing trend of government collusion with tech companies to control AI development, and the potential risks to innovation and individual liberty this poses. Both Peterson and Andreessen worry the future of AI is not a technical problem, but a human one about the values we choose to instill in these systems and the narratives that underpin our society.

If you're new to us it is recommended that you read issue 1: One Idea is All it Takes

About:?Trevor Nel is an 'ideas-generating machine' and co-founder of WISDOMS?. You can connect with WISDOMS? and become: 1. a PATRON and/or; 2. a PLAYER , and/or; 3. a PARTNER - follow each link for more info.

Next week:

Trevor Nel?is author of One Idea Is All It Takes and numerous publications & articles, including:

1. Another GREAT Day in Africa!
2. Confessions of a SERIAL Entrepreneur
3. Here's How To Be Well-Prepared For YOUR Cycles Of Success
4. Here's How YOU Can Make A Meaningful Difference In Other People's Lives
5. COMRADES Marathon: Metaphor For The Marathon Of Life
6. Riding the wild, wild River Of Life
7. Life Lessons Learnt as a Dusi Rat
8. Some simple life lessons learnt from 50 Midmar Miles

This post is brought to you by Trevor Nel co- developer of WISDOMS? DifferenceMakers? In Every City - https://lnkd.in/dABaNAcv - in collaboration with 1idea? - https://lnkd.in/dUytHMTj - the digital newsletter that explores the simple idea that just one idea can be all it takes to change YOUR entire life & business.

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