During the global pandemic, many of us meaningfully considered the question, "what do I really want to do?". We re-evaluated where we live, how we spend our time, and the kind of work we wanted to do.
After many of us reflected and answered that question, AI is now imploring us to answer a different one: "What can I do now?"
The question cuts two ways. Optimistically, AI is an agent that creates, edits, and empowers us to achieve more than we ever may have dreamed. As Reid Hoffman says, "AI is a powerful tool for humans to amplify and enhance their abilities, rather than replace them entirely."
On the flip side, AI may in many cases be better than us at specific tasks. Content creation, coding assistance, design prototyping, customer outreach, data analysis, market research...
and more, seemingly every day (if not hour).
"What can I do now" simultaneously allows us to dream of possibility as well as be reminded of reality. The reality that AI will only get better from here, and as a result our human advantages are going to evolve faster than ever before.
For many professionals in tech, it's been a perfect storm: Massive layoffs, an uncertain economy impacting customers and business growth, and now the rapidly-changing nature of work in the age of AI.
No one can accurately predict the future of how this all will unfold. In the meanwhile, I'm doing my best by being curious, exploring new technologies, and reflecting on both angles of the question: "What can I do now?"