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Embracing AI: Adapt or Be Left Behind
By Tom
I observe a clear and striking dichotomy among the people around me: they either passionately love or vehemently hate artificial intelligence (AI). This polarization is evident in conversations, social media discussions, and even professional settings. Most people don’t understand AI deeply; they often think of it merely as tools like ChatGPT that respond to prompts. This superficial understanding limits their perception of what AI truly is and its potential impact on various aspects of life and society. Personally,
I’m not in the middle ground or at any extreme—AI doesn’t evoke an emotional response from me. Having started coding in machine learning and deep learning back in 2008, I’ve grown accustomed to it. It’s a tool, a field of study, and a professional interest, not something that stirs my emotions. Over the years, I’ve seen AI evolve, and I’ve adapted alongside it, integrating it into my work without letting it define my feelings toward technology.
Right now, we’re witnessing a huge bubble in the AI industry that’s ready to burst. The hype surrounding AI has led to an explosion of startups and new businesses, all hoping to capitalize on the latest trends. Many of these companies lack a solid foundation or a sustainable business model, and when the bubble bursts, many will go down with it. Most new businesses will collapse faster than they emerged, leaving investors, employees, and customers scrambling. This is normal; it’s happened before in other industries, such as the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s and the housing market crash in 2008. History tends to repeat itself when caution is thrown to the wind in the face of rapid technological advancement. So, how can you survive in this volatile environment? How do you keep your job, your occupation, your source of income secure? You risk becoming compromised, like an old, well-used password that’s easily cracked. Staying stagnant is not an option; adaptation and foresight are crucial.
I believe there’s only one way to navigate through this turbulent time: you must be in the know. Being informed and knowledgeable is not just beneficial—it’s essential. You must learn new things as quickly as possible, continuously updating your skill set and understanding of the industry. The pace of technological change is relentless, and falling behind even slightly can have significant consequences. Regardless of where you are—geographically or professionally—you must strive to know more than your peers. This doesn’t mean fostering unhealthy competition but rather ensuring that you are valuable in your role and can adapt to changes as they come. Knowledge is power, and in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and technology, it’s your most valuable asset.
A Message to the Artists: Embracing Change in the Creative World
I’m an artist too—I love to draw, paint, and compose music for fun, though I don’t make money from it. Art has always been a personal passion of mine, a way to express creativity and explore new ideas without the pressure of commercial success. However, if you’re an artist who relies on your craft for income, you must understand what AI can do for you. The integration of AI into creative fields is not a distant future; it’s happening now. You can hate it, resist it, or feel threatened by it, but you must know how to use it to your advantage. Otherwise, you’ll be left behind as the industry evolves. Illustrators, 3D modelers, musicians, composers—all creatives—must learn and embrace new tools because they allow you to work faster, reduce costs, and ultimately produce better work. AI can handle repetitive tasks, generate new ideas, and even help in the creative process, freeing you to focus on what truly matters: your unique artistic vision.
Someone once said that art directors dislike creators—not on a personal level, but as a group that generates cost and noise within a project. This sentiment stems from the challenges of managing creative individuals who often require more time, resources, and flexibility. I’ve experienced this firsthand in collaborative projects where the creative process can seem inefficient to those focused on the bottom line. Now, with the advent of AI tools, art directors have technologies they believe can replace most or even all creators. These tools can generate images, music, and designs with minimal input, promising efficiency and cost savings. They’re obviously wrong in thinking that AI can fully replace human creativity and the nuanced understanding that artists bring. But next year? It’s quite possible that AI will advance to a point where it can handle more complex creative tasks, making the threat more real for those who haven’t adapted.
I need to stress that creators and artists must keep their core strengths strong and continuously growing. Your unique skills, developed over years of practice, are your most valuable assets. If you write, keep writing regularly to hone your craft. If you start to lean heavily on AI to do the work for you, you’re already on a path to obsolescence. You’ll lose the ability to write authentically, much like how most GPS users can’t read maps anymore because they’ve outsourced that skill to technology. Your brain is a master at forgetting everything that’s not essential for survival or daily function. It immediately recognizes which neurons and signal paths are becoming unused and idle, pruning them to optimize efficiency—a process known as synaptic pruning. This neural efficiency is crucial, but it means that unused skills fade over time. Don’t let your artistic abilities become one of those unused skills.
On the other hand, it’s unfortunately necessary that you know and use bleeding-edge AI tools, just as you would a pen, pencil, or brush. Ignoring these tools won’t make them go away; it will only put you at a disadvantage. Your brain must learn the efficacy of these new tools and understand how they can enhance your creative process. By integrating AI into your work, you can automate mundane tasks, explore new creative avenues, and stay competitive in an industry that’s rapidly adopting these technologies. Learning to use AI effectively is not about replacing your creativity but augmenting it, allowing you to push boundaries and achieve results that were previously unattainable.
Adapting in the World of Technology: A Personal Perspective
I’m a professional IT developer, and I make it a point to keep my ability to code sharp. This means not only maintaining my existing skills but also continuously learning new programming languages, frameworks, and methodologies. I also use the newest tools available, testing and embracing them daily to stay at the forefront of technological advancements. It’s a delicate balance, though. It’s dangerous because it’s easy to stop developing yourself and drown in the honey of easy laziness when you see your code spewing automagically from your AI assistants like Claude or Cursor.
These tools can generate code snippets, debug errors, and even build entire modules with minimal input. While they are incredibly helpful, relying on them too much can erode your fundamental coding skills. It’s essential to use them as aids, not crutches, ensuring that you remain proficient and capable without over-reliance on automation.
The new human is emerging from the forge right now, in front of our eyes—a person who seamlessly integrates technology with creativity, adaptability, and continuous learning. This new paradigm of human capability is characterized by those who not only accept change but actively seek it out and leverage it to their advantage. Be one of the new people. This call to action is for everyone, regardless of gender.
Women, of course, are equally part of this transformation, and if you happen to be one, your participation is just as crucial. Diversity in thought and experience will only strengthen this new era of human development.
Together, we can shape a future where technology enhances our abilities without diminishing our humanity.
