AI is food for thought

AI is food for thought - Is AI coming? Or is it already here?

First let's get this part off the plate. Many people see AI bringing change and are fearful. Rapid change can be difficult to navigate. I see AI as a tool. I'm neither scared of my hammer or comforted by it. At best I'm ambivalent about it until I need it.

Let's look at 3 pivotal moments in history

• The United States postal system was established on July 26, 1775, by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin appointed as the first Postmaster General.  This marked the beginning of a national postal system for the newly formed nation. 

• The first telegram was sent on May 24, 1844. Samuel Morse transmitted the message "What hath God wrought!" from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Maryland, using his newly developed telegraph system according to The Library of Congress (.gov). This event marked a pivotal moment in communication history, demonstrating the potential of the electric telegraph to transmit information over long distances.

• The first practical telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, with the first telephone call made on March 10, 1876. While Bell patented the device and is credited with its widespread use, other inventors like Antonio Meucci and Charles Bourseul had previously explored similar concepts.

Here's a more detailed timeline:

• 1876:Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone and makes the first successful telephone call to his assistant, Thomas Watson, from one room to another.
• 1877-1878:The first telephone line is constructed, a switchboard is created, and the first telephone exchange begins operation.
• 1880s:The telephone becomes more widely adopted, with almost 49,000 telephones in use by the end of the decade.
• 1920s-1930s:Wired telephony systems see significant expansion in many parts of the world.
• 1970s:Wireless technology begins to be introduced, leading to the development of cellular phones.

The purpose of outlining these events is to think about the changes and how they impacted people. When the post office was formed it meant less work for personal messengers that rode between recipients.

When the Telegram was introduced messages traveled faster than mail could be delivered. Do you think people at the postoffice were worried?

When the Telephone was introduced, there was little need for Telegrams do you think folks employed to deliver them became worried about their jobs?

AI has been in Malls for much longer than many people are aware. AI has been doing some of the lifting in many areas of our lives for a while. But now it's here on our desktops. Soon it will be driving or controlling robotics around us.

I spent a good amount of time investigating this recently. Some of it free some of it paid. I never view getting experience as a negative thing. I found a few things surprising, and several disappointing.

We are on the precipice of two major technology shifts. AI as "super AI" there are several other terms but for simplicity we will stick to this convention. The second is quantum computing. I believe they will deeply influence each other. The speed of change could go from a good running speed to warp speed. The change could be so swift for some it will be difficult to perceive.

Again this is neither good or bad. I choose to stay positive. There are many areas of opportunity wherever a problem arrises.

I don't think I would be put out if smart hammers rose up and made more affordable housing for everyone. I think skilled labor carpentry jobs would be in far less demand. I think a more constructive response would be to retrain them for needed jobs over lighting a Waymo on fire.

No matter how you view it or approach it change is happening rapidly.

I can point to a more recent shift. Many years ago I met a Helicopter pilot that flew to take pictures for real-estate. For medical reasons he couldn't get recertified to fly. He was not an older individual. He instead was a early pioneer of development of what we now call personal drones. He was able to keep flying and providing the same services. Eventually his developments would lead to a significant decrease in the value of his services.

I hope this has provided a positive note on your view of the future.