You Have Something AI Never Will
If you strolled through Times Square in NYC recently you might have found yourself staring at this billboard. Take a moment to read the cartoon bubbles!
It’s from the satirists at Replacement.AI. Is their sign in Times Square also a sign of the times? Depending on the hour in the news cycle we can read about AI destroying jobs, the economy, our intellect, our curiosity, our work/life balance…etc. That’s a lot of destruction.
But you can find a ton of optimistic stuff, too! I get the privilege of learning about all manner of incredible NextThing(s) because of the coaching I do in the start-up world.
Just in the last two weeks I coached companies that are using AI sequencing human cells, revolutionizing dangerous mining sites, and supercharging crucial robotics facilities.
But even with those jaw-dropping and inspiring applications, many of the clients I coach confess more fearful thoughts than fun ones when they contemplate AI.
If you find yourself in that camp, I have some human-generated content that may make you feel better!
Watch this clip from a talk we’ve been delivering for our clients called “Authenticity in the Age of AI.”
GK Training: Authenticity in the Age of AI - 2D AI vs 3D Humans
The TL;DR of it is this: if used unwisely, AI might undermine the very skills professionals should be cultivating more to be essential in the AI age. (This particular clip is from the Learning in Law conference in London, UK.)
Don’t have time/bandwidth to watch a clip right this moment? Then make a date with yourself to watch it later (let it replace that Instagram vid that will only ramp up your dread and threat response!), and for the time being just marinate on this thought:
Among the many, many, many differences between you and an LLM, you are embodied. Remember, “To Speak Is to Move” – when you speak, your diaphragm, ribs, lungs, vocal cords, lips, tongue, jaw, face (and likely hands) all move. Every time you speak today, revel in the miraculous embodied act that is speaking. You are not just a decision matrix; you are a walking/talking living/breathing communication instrument. Play yours today with abandon, even if it’s just to look up at a billboard and marvel out loud.
Happy Learning,
Michael Hoeppner & The GK Training Team
P.S. If you’d like a slightly longer (3 pages) examination of how AI might affect human communication, here’s a free download to the chapter on AI in my book. I wrote the chapter in 2023, but it’s aged well I think.
P.P.S. There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there is a free lunch & LEARN. Bad joke notwithstanding, we are, in fact, offering the “Authenticity in the Age of AI” workshop for free to our clients. Why? If AI used poorly might erode the very abilities that allow humans to communicate well -- cognition, attention span, mental perseverance, etc. -- we at GK Training feel compelled to do our small part to help folks preserve those skills. Reach out at [email protected] if you want to learn more. P.P.P.S. If you'd like to explore more of what I’m reading regarding the above, check out the links below:
