Why I’m in a Race to learn AI

For the last few months I've been taking courses in Python and machine learning, and experimenting with tools like PyTorch, Jupiter Notebooks, and Scikit, among others. At 44, I’m not really interested in another re-invention. However, in my current iteration as an entrepreneur in blue-collar industries it's becoming obvious, it's time to get into the AI space or get left behind. Not because AI will replace blue collar work, but because it will replace white collar work. In this article I'll explain why that matters for blue collar businesses, and why it's time to learn AI right now.

Experts are predicting that AI is on the verge of replacing a massive number of white-collar jobs. AI won't replace all jobs outright, but it will dramatically increase productivity, allowing one person to do the work of ten. I have used it fairly extensively in my businesses already just for content, SEO, product research and customer service – it’s essentially doing the work of a 20-30 hour a week marketing person. ?It's accurate to say that AI won't replace humans, but a human who uses AI will replace humans. It's already doing it to some degree in some industries. Famously, ChatGPT recently passed a Bar Exam (with some caveats), and it’s already being used apparently widely in the medical field for diagnosis purposes. Based on my limited experience it’s fairly obvious that it is going to replace vast swaths of people in fields like data analytics, customer service, medicine, accounting, and administration/clerical work. If you sit behind a computer for your job it’s probable that your job will be done partly or wholly by AI at some point.

For the photo featured in this article I asked ChatGPT4o to create an image of what it thinks the future looks like in a world where AI has replaced the majority of white collar jobs, leaving many people vying for few jobs. Will it be so bad? Some people are suggesting UBI as the answer, others are saying political pressure will build to regulate AI so we don’t end up with such a future.

As a blue-collar entrepreneur, I initially assumed my businesses would be safe from these advancements. After all, I run two hands-on, blue-collar businesses that seem far removed from the world of automation and machine learning. Then, as got a better idea how disruptive AI is going to be for white collar work I realized how wrong I was. As the job market experiences a drastic and sudden downsizing, people will scramble off the sinking ship of white collar labor, seeking refuge in what they perceive to be AI-proof spaces – namely, blue-collar work.

This influx of labor and entrepreneurs into blue-collar industries will lead to severe downward price pressure. Competition will ramp up as more people try to find a way to make a living in sectors they believe are safe from automation. We're already seeing some of this shift, which will only accelerate as AI technologies advance. Blue-collar businesses aren't safe precisely because they'll be perceived as a safe haven. The masses will come to look to blue-collar jobs as the answer, and this migration will turn blue-collar industries into hyper-competitive spaces with a glut of labor. Businesses that once had high margins, such as HVAC and plumbing, will suddenly face downward price pressure as entrepreneurs flood into the space seeking a haven from the AI wave. Profits and wages in blue-collar businesses will decrease.

This is why I'm in a race to learn AI. ?Surface-level knowledge, such as "prompt engineering," isn't enough. Learning Ai isn't meant to protect my businesses, that's probably impossible, but it is instead aimed at pivoting my entrepreneurial efforts, investments, and knowledge towards the AI space.

Resources like Coursera have helped provide structured learning paths. Suddenly I’m having to learn calculus and refresh myself on regression modeling. Conversations with friends in software engineering and artificial intelligence have provided invaluable guidance, helping me see where the opportunity will be for someone like me. No code and low code AI tools have made learning easier to experiment with AI capabilities beyond the popular Gemini or ChatGpt models. The plan is to continue to learn and experiment with AI tools and frameworks like PyTorch and TensorFlow and build out a proof of concept product for an AI product I've been working on. A lot of the opportunities in the next decade won't be in building new models; they will be in building out applications. That’s work I’m interested in. The applications you think of now; such as personalized medicine, self-driving cars, fraud detection and content creation are just the tip of the iceberg. The proliferation of applications across industries is going to explode over the next decade. As an example AI systems could enhance disaster response by analyzing satellite images and social media data for real-time coordination of relief efforts. In Higher Ed AI will be used too create personalized learning experiences and intelligent adaptive tutoring for students, adjusting real time to student learning, and it will likely result in a downsizing of Institutional Research offices.

What’s obvious is that AI is going to be as disruptive, and possibly more disruptive, than the advent of the internet. While the internet created jobs, AI is going to take them away while simultaneously increasing productivity for the industries and businesses that use it. The best time to prepare was yesterday, the second best time to prepare is today.

If you're working to make this pivot or just trying to learn more and move beyond small scale AI uses, I'd love to hear about your journey and how that's going for you. I’m interested in learning about tools you’ve been using and what’s been helpful as you learn an entirely new skillset.