Not Everything Needs an AI Twist
Do we really have to become AI experts, use AI to make everything more efficient, and find a way to incorporate AI into everything we sell?
I don't know about you, but I seem to be seeing a huge increase in adverts for AI-related products, services, guides and courses.
"Write blog posts faster with AI"
"Increase your sales with our new AI tool"
"Learn how to use AI with confidence"
"Supercharge your business with AI"
"Create an AI chatbot in minutes"
It's exhausting.
Where have all the human-powered products gone?
Do we really have to become AI experts, use AI to make everything more efficient, and find a way to incorporate AI into everything we sell?
No. No, we do not.
I'm not anti-AI by any means. I think it has pros and cons. I occasionally use it or test it to find out what it can do. And I'm certainly a fan of automating repetitive tasks that don't require much brain power. But I actually find learning about AI pretty boring.
I don't want to spend hours learning how to train it. I don't want to use it for half the stuff it can do. And I don't want to offer any AI-enabled products.
Using AI can prevent you from developing crucial skills
I love writing my blog posts and emails. I enjoy the process. And I find it helps me embed learning, clarify my thoughts, articulate concepts and test ideas. Why would I give that over to AI when it benefits me in so many ways?
Just because AI can do something, it doesn't mean we have to let it. And if we do use it for everything, we lose crucial skills such as creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
I liken AI to junk food. It's ok to indulge every now and then, but you shouldn't become completely reliant on it. Too much junk food can lead to health problems and nutrient deficiency. Too much AI can lead to thinking problems and skills deficiency.
Melissa Hogenboom
Those skills could be in demand in the not-too-distant future
Some people want to offer AI-powered services, and that's fine. But there's nothing wrong with doing it the "old-fashioned" way.
The Industrial Revolution replaced so many tasks that used to be done by hand. Machines could make things like clothes, food items, or furniture so much faster than humans.
And yet, people today still know how to knit or sew, make bread from scratch, or handcraft a wooden chair. People continued to learn these skills and teach these skills. And people still buy hand-crafted versions even though they cost more than machine-made versions.
The same will be true in the future. AI might be able to do things faster than us, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't learn how to do things for ourselves or teach others how to do it.
I genuinely believe that in the not-too-distant future, people will be seeking out humans who have the skills that people stopped bothering to learn because of AI.
Tom Slater
Not all skills can be replaced by AI
Despite it sometimes feeling as though we'll be missing out if we don't use AI or sell something that involves AI, it's not entirely true.
Yes, AI can give us answers and ideas, and information, but it doesn't have context or intuition or empathy. It doesn't have lived experience. It doesn't understand nuance or emotion.
It understands theories and structures, frameworks and formulas. But it doesn't understand what it's like to be human, because it's not human. It doesn't have emotional intelligence. And that's where it can't compete with a real person.
So don't worry if you feel as though you aren't as AI-literate as you "should" be. Or that you aren't using AI to 10x everything. Or that your products and services aren't AI-enabled. There is still a place for human-powered services, and there always will be.
