Look, I’m Not Trying to Scare You
But honestly, I’m a little scared. I’ve been in tech for 20+ years, and I’ve seen alot of things come and go. But this AI stuff? It’s different. It’s not just another gadget or a new software update. It’s gonna change everything. And I’m not sure we’re ready.
I remember back in ’98, when I was just starting out at Tech Monthly. A colleague named Dave—let’s call him Dave—told me, “Mike, the internet is gonna change the world.” I laughed. I mean, who needs the internet when you’ve got a perfectly good fax machine, right? (Yeah, I know, I’m old.)
But Dave was right. And now, I’m starting to think AI is the next big thing. The thing that’s gonna make us all say, “Wow, we should’ve seen that coming.”
My First AI Encounter
It was about three months ago. I was at a conference in Austin, and this guy—let’s call him Marcus—was showing off some AI stuff. I’m not gonna lie, I was completley impressed. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie. But then, I started thinking, “What does this mean for us? For me? For my job?”
Marcus said, “AI is just a tool, Mike. It’s not gonna replace us.” But I’m not so sure. I mean, look at what happened with automation. Look at what happened with the internet. Jobs changed. People changed. Everything changed.
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But still, I can’t shake this feeling. This feeling that AI is gonna be bigger than we think. Bigger than we can handle.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying AI is all bad. Far from it. I mean, look at the latest news today headlines latest news today headlines, there’s always something positive happening. AI is gonna help us in so many ways. It’s gonna make our lives easier. It’s gonna make us more productive. It’s gonna make us… well, I’m not sure what else, honestly.
But then there’s the bad. And the ugly. I’m talking about job losses. I’m talking about privacy issues. I’m talking about the fact that we’re gonna have to deal with a whole new set of problems that we don’t even know about yet.
I was talking to my friend Sarah the other day, and she said, “Mike, you’re always so negative about tech.” But I’m not negative. I’m realistic. I’ve seen this movie before. And I know how it ends.
A Tangent: The Time I Tried to Learn to Code
Okay, so this is kinda off topic, but hear me out. Back in 2001, I decided I was gonna learn to code. I mean, I was a writer, but I wanted to understand the other side, you know? So, I bought this book. “Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days.” Ha! Good one.
I spent 36 hours trying to make sense of it. And you know what? I gave up. I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. And that’s when I realized, not everyone is cut out for tech. Not everyone can keep up with the changes. And that’s okay. But AI? It’s not gonna care if you can’t keep up. It’s gonna leave you behind.
So, What Do We Do?
I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I mean, I have some ideas. We need to educate ourselves. We need to prepare. We need to think about the physicaly and emotional impact of AI on our lives. But I’m not sure that’s enough.
I was talking to a source for an article last Tuesday, and he said, “Mike, AI is inevitable. You can’t stop progress.” And he’s right. But just because something is inevitable, doesn’t mean we should just sit back and let it happen. We need to be proactive. We need to be smart.
We need to think about the aquisition of AI by big tech companies. We need to think about the determing factors of AI development. We need to think about the ammendments we need to make to our laws and regulations.
But mostly, we need to think about the human element. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about the tech. It’s about us. It’s about our jobs. It’s about our lives. It’s about our future.
And I’m scared. I’m scared because I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I’m scared because I don’t know if we’re ready. I’m scared because I don’t know if I’m ready.
But I’m gonna keep writing about it. I’m gonna keep talking about it. I’m gonna keep trying to make sense of it. Because that’s what I do. That’s who I am.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s enough.
About the Author: Mike Thompson has been a senior editor at various tech magazines for over 20 years. He’s seen the tech industry evolve and is always ready to share his thoughts, whether you ask for them or not. When he’s not writing, he’s probably complaining about the latest tech trend over coffee at the place on 5th.
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