Conflicted About AI? I Am Too, So Here’s What I’m Doing (Issue 632)
AI fluency will determine future employment possibilities
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I resisted using AI tools for a long time.
As a tech nerd, I kicked the tires on the various AI tools and services that started surfacing years ago. Initially, I wasn’t very impressed. So, not learning or using them didn’t seem like a big deal.
However, the quality of AI-generated results improved dramatically this year. I used to laugh at the output. Now? Not so much.
I still don’t want to use AI for my writing. I feel like it flattens my voice, and my personality disappears from the words. I guess that makes sense, since it leverages the input from millions of people and billions of documents to create its language models. I don’t mind using it to challenge me and perform research for new topics, but I don’t want it to do my writing.
I also don’t use AI for art or illustrations. That feels even closer to theft of the creative work of so many artists who work so hard for so little.
Lately, I’ve been using ongoing ChatGPT projects to challenge my assumptions, review my marketing efforts, and tear down my profiles (e.g., on LinkedIn). I ask it to be critical, stop praising me, and behave like a professional who would be seeking coaching services. I have to admit, it has pointed out things I overlooked and helped me be more objective about how I present myself and my services to the world. I’m too close to everything to be objectively critical.
However, it still doesn’t take the place of talking with real human beings. AI is better than nothing, but talking with people reveals nuance it misses. For example, I recommend:
Connecting with people in your broader network to refresh relationships and hear about new opportunities that may not even have been posted yet (AI won’t know about those).
Practicing your introduction, elevator pitch, and answering potential interview questions with a friend or family member (e.g., AI can’t interpret your facial expressions and tone of voice to notice if you sound confident and friendly or not).
Meeting with people who fit your ideal customer persona to more deeply understand their wants and needs (e.g., AI isn’t human enough to get to the bottom of desires that are profoundly human and sometimes irrational).
Of course, AI can also be used to automate repetitive tasks that you find tedious. You know how to do them, and you often do for your job every day. But these tasks aren’t the high-value work you would prefer to be doing more often. So, outsource the tedious stuff and focus more on your strategic work!
I already see companies downsizing and claiming they will use a combination of senior employees plus AI tools to replace the work of dozens of more junior employees. This idea seemed laughable at first. But, then I see posts like these and realize that AI tools can indeed do design and development work in 10 minutes that used to take months! I’m worried, and I hope people are preparing for how quickly their jobs will have to change.
Will the output need to be tweaked and polished? Yes, of course it will. However, now a single person using AI can handle the work that previously required a team of designers and engineers.
The world is changing rapidly. It is clear that AI fluency will be required if you want to keep your job, especially if you work in tech and perform some sort of knowledge work. So, what are you doing to stay ahead of this shift? Leave a comment! I’m curious and want to learn how y’all are using AI.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!
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Agreed. It's no longer IF you should use AI, but how you use it. Co-worker or an assistant. Just remember it's not your boss!