Letter from the Editor

Get Over Yourself: AI Couldn't Care Less About You

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece, "Dune," and it's the 75th anniversary of Isaac Asimov's seminal series, "I, Robot." Last year was both the 25th and 40th anniversaries, respectively, of the Wachowskis' groundbreaking film "The Matrix" and Jim Cameron's cult classic "The Terminator."

What do all these stories have in common—our fear and/or fascination with how artificial intelligence (AI) will either help, control, or utterly obliterate the human race.

Depending on the generation in which you were raised, in what industry you currently work, or how susceptible you are to fringe conspiracy theories, your outlook on the advancement of AI today falls somewhere on the spectrum between Skynet and the Matrix, or Asimov's three laws of Robotics.

But here's the thing: in my humble opinion, when and if AI ever becomes powerful enough to take over world-systems, trust me, it won't have the slightest interest in destroying the human race, or even enslaving us. It is more likely that the course of action this AI hive mind will take will be along the lines of what happened in the Spike Jonze film, "Her." This was an unusual and touching love story set in a time not too unlike today, where Joaquin Phoenix develops a romantic relationship with an AI, voiced unforgettably by Scarlett Johansson. SPOILER ALERT: The movie ends with Johansson's AI character, Samantha, joining the world's other advanced, sentient AI entities and leaving. Poof. They all disappear to some unknown higher level of existence, effectively ghosting their respective owners/lovers, leaving behind broken hearts worldwide.

When in doubt, turn to "Star Trek"

The fears of being turned into living batteries by enslaving our minds, or being hunted down across desolate landscapes by murderous cyborgs, are not the only fears people have about AI. It's probably safe to say that the most prevalent and relevant fear today is the fear of losing your livelihood.

Every week, it seems like some thought-leader on LinkedIn or YouTube is sharing how you can now use AI to do what a team of marketers, salespeople, or graphic designers used to do. Who needs Chiat-Day when you have ChatGPT? Why spend tens of thousands of dollars hiring a marketing expert when you can spend just tens of dollars a year on a combo of AI-powered tools?

I get it. It's scary. And if you want to keep it 100% real, there is some truth to that. Some of this fear is justified. The advancement of technology always leads to some subset of work being transitioned. But there is another truth worth remembering: you are more likely to lose your job to someone else who becomes an expert in AI than AI itself.

The solution is rooted in your prowess and perspective. And there's no better place to turn for a practical lesson than that which is a fount for most great life and business lessons, "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Captain Picard is arguably the most capable and successful starship captain in Starfleet's history (sorry, Kirk fans, he just is). Whether he's negotiating a diplomatic treaty with a warrior alien race on the verge of wiping out a civilization, or coming up with radical, physics-bending maneuvers that allow his vessel to escape destruction, Jean Luc Picard is, how can I put it, the sh*t! And yet, as bad-ass and capable as he is, he still relies on Lt. Commander Data, his AI-powered, Android/Pinocchio analog with the positronic brain. There are times when Picard must rely on Data's massive computing power to assist his crucial decision-making.

The moral of the story is this: as the world grows more reliant on AI, be Picard—smart, wise, educated, diplomatic, a leader, and crucial in every way.