So we are, without fail, the first critics of everything that eventually changes our lives.
CEOs, Nobel laureates, presidents, and even Socrates at some point called the next big thing useless, dangerous, or a fad. But they all became its biggest users, maybe even paying for it! AI is indeed no different.
The only newsletter in my inbox I feel compelled to share with friends and family. Brilliant, could not agree with you more here! Those focusing on what AI messed up (once? twice? Could it be they did not even properly describe what they were looking for?) - are missing the point of a world-changing technology in its infancy, and we all get to play in the sandbox for 20 bucks a month. How cool is that!
literally anyone with a laptop and a subscription can do it. who knows, this might be one of the biggest technological shifts in human history, and you get to join in while it's still evolving :)
Such a great point. Love all the examples. I’m laughing an 8 week cohort to teach coaches how to use AI to support their business to create time and capacity for more of the human connections we crave and I’ll share some of these. Thank you!
thanks, Nata. your comment reminds me of a piece i wrote. that AI is slowly taking screen work from us, so what remains is what was always the real job: the human connection, trust, taste, and judgment.
You can add "The Apple Watch is just an interesting toy". -Nick Hayek Jr. Swatchgroup CEO, 2015. 4 years later the Apple Watch outsold the entire Swiss watch industry. In 2019 Apple shipped an estimated 30.7 million smartwatches, compared to the 21.1 million units shipped by all Swiss brands combined.
“But to me it seems quite clear - that's it's all just a little bit of history repeating.”
This is a fantastic piece - thank you!
—————
Now picture 100 colleagues in an 8-hour meeting, only to conclude they need to "take it offline."
Then imagine this happening at scale across a national economy. This isn’t just bad meeting etiquette; it’s a symptom of the productivity crisis threatening our infrastructure and social safety nets.
Over at Policy Over Personality, I recently explored why Canada’s current policy approach to AI risks automating our stasis, and I would LOVE the community’s thoughts and comments.
organizations are allergic to changing how they work, but i have seen changes in the enterprises i consult for. they are motivated for AI adoption. they want the efficiency and systems that come with it. i don't know enough about Canada's specific policy approach, what's the gist of it?
I'm enjoying the comments. Yes, AI can make us more efficient, so that what is left is the human side. We can make our jobs more efficient, so we have time for the human side. In education, we don't want to take teachers' jobs away; we want to make them better at what they do, more efficient, and more able to use data to teach. As so many are saying, it leaves human connection as the thing left, and it cannot be replaced.
yes, we can use AI and be more human. it will take us away from screens so we can connect with others, be closer to our clients, and get paid a premium for the skills we have. we have so much control to do the things AI can’t do.
Socrates was totally right, wasn't he? Writing did make people rely less on memory. In his time, many people could memorize and recite entire works that most of us couldn't remember today. Who can do that now?
we always lose something, don't we? it will compensate for whether what we gain makes it a ridiculous bargain. we might not recite it but we can read it, study it, translate it, and also share it with a billion people.
I'm just a small human that's struggling to accept something that seemingly only delusional, rich men are benefiting from. Most of the historical inventions that pushed through, firstly made rich people richer and the powerful, more powerful. It wasn't obviously helpful for citizens, especially at first, when all they see is something that's not made for them. (AI and data centers are made for Elon, Kevin, Peter, or Alex to expand their portfolios.) Or worse, it has detrimental effects on people just living their lives or surviving. The new technology should not harm and yet data centers are certainly doing that at a record pace. It takes people willing to care enough to make it actually good for everyTHING, not just greedy humans. It takes someone willing to provide its value to the struggling, single mom and help ease her into using this amazing invention while still leaving her enough money to buy groceries. That's when these super-cool, amazing inventions get accepted. I'm trying, but it's still out of my range and not useful enough for me. I've had to explain too much to it and I still come up with better solutions to my problems. All I did was waste a half hour getting it to understand my question. I'm 60, college educated business major, and see the usefulness, but also see where men will use it for abuse and self gain. I will wish for AI to be used for legal reform, replacing government positions to be more moral and fair than any human could be. Until it becomes a good thing for all, and not a "this will make your business explode and you will be super rich and powerful", I'll be skeptical.
i hear you. i have seen too many "this will make you super rich and powerful" content everywhere and i'm against it. getting rich or building a functioning company is far more complex than just knowing how to prompt an AI. its never that easy. i think people who do that are just in it to sell courses.
i would want to know your experience, where you wasted half an hour getting it to understand your question. can i ask what happened? and what tool you used?
This one: 1898 — “Vaccination a delusion; its penal enforcement a crime.” — Alfred Russel Wallace, on vaccines. Reminds me of COVID-19 as well as a certain cabinet member. The rest are fantastic, such foresight by important people. ?
So we are, without fail, the first critics of everything that eventually changes our lives.
CEOs, Nobel laureates, presidents, and even Socrates at some point called the next big thing useless, dangerous, or a fad. But they all became its biggest users, maybe even paying for it! AI is indeed no different.
and they were never stupid people. they just had too much invested in what was their current world to see the next one clearly.
The only newsletter in my inbox I feel compelled to share with friends and family. Brilliant, could not agree with you more here! Those focusing on what AI messed up (once? twice? Could it be they did not even properly describe what they were looking for?) - are missing the point of a world-changing technology in its infancy, and we all get to play in the sandbox for 20 bucks a month. How cool is that!
literally anyone with a laptop and a subscription can do it. who knows, this might be one of the biggest technological shifts in human history, and you get to join in while it's still evolving :)
Such a great point. Love all the examples. I’m laughing an 8 week cohort to teach coaches how to use AI to support their business to create time and capacity for more of the human connections we crave and I’ll share some of these. Thank you!
thanks, Nata. your comment reminds me of a piece i wrote. that AI is slowly taking screen work from us, so what remains is what was always the real job: the human connection, trust, taste, and judgment.
i think you will find more insights about it that you can share with your people as well. i’ll link it here for you: https://ruben.substack.com/p/i-shook-hands-with-a-nobel-prize:)
Oh I’ve read it. I really all your articles. Lots of great insights 😊
Thank you
You can add "The Apple Watch is just an interesting toy". -Nick Hayek Jr. Swatchgroup CEO, 2015. 4 years later the Apple Watch outsold the entire Swiss watch industry. In 2019 Apple shipped an estimated 30.7 million smartwatches, compared to the 21.1 million units shipped by all Swiss brands combined.
ah the list keeps growing! it would fit alongside Blockbuster and iPhone examples
“But to me it seems quite clear - that's it's all just a little bit of history repeating.”
This is a fantastic piece - thank you!
—————
Now picture 100 colleagues in an 8-hour meeting, only to conclude they need to "take it offline."
Then imagine this happening at scale across a national economy. This isn’t just bad meeting etiquette; it’s a symptom of the productivity crisis threatening our infrastructure and social safety nets.
Over at Policy Over Personality, I recently explored why Canada’s current policy approach to AI risks automating our stasis, and I would LOVE the community’s thoughts and comments.
organizations are allergic to changing how they work, but i have seen changes in the enterprises i consult for. they are motivated for AI adoption. they want the efficiency and systems that come with it. i don't know enough about Canada's specific policy approach, what's the gist of it?
I'm enjoying the comments. Yes, AI can make us more efficient, so that what is left is the human side. We can make our jobs more efficient, so we have time for the human side. In education, we don't want to take teachers' jobs away; we want to make them better at what they do, more efficient, and more able to use data to teach. As so many are saying, it leaves human connection as the thing left, and it cannot be replaced.
yes, we can use AI and be more human. it will take us away from screens so we can connect with others, be closer to our clients, and get paid a premium for the skills we have. we have so much control to do the things AI can’t do.
This had me laughing and informed. It’s just a wonderful piece.
Thank you.
thanks for the kind words, Eduard. i’m happy i made one reader laugh.
There’s a term called “Loonshots.” As Einstein famously said, “If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”
is it a good book? i like the title. very fitting to this article
Socrates was totally right, wasn't he? Writing did make people rely less on memory. In his time, many people could memorize and recite entire works that most of us couldn't remember today. Who can do that now?
we always lose something, don't we? it will compensate for whether what we gain makes it a ridiculous bargain. we might not recite it but we can read it, study it, translate it, and also share it with a billion people.
What a perfect hook. Loved sending it to all the AI skeptics.
curious what their thoughts were!
1990 “The Internet is just a toy for computer nerds. We do not see any future in it.”
— Ron Sommer, CEO of Deutsche Telekom (parent company of T-Mobile), on the Internet.
i read that quote and couldn’t get the right translation and source reference at the time
*(Quote was translated from German)
If AI fails, it will be because humans have failed.
perhaps specific people will fail to use it and then they'll look back and wonder what happened
Perfect.
appreciate it!
Well put, with history to back it.
thanks for reading it!!
I'm just a small human that's struggling to accept something that seemingly only delusional, rich men are benefiting from. Most of the historical inventions that pushed through, firstly made rich people richer and the powerful, more powerful. It wasn't obviously helpful for citizens, especially at first, when all they see is something that's not made for them. (AI and data centers are made for Elon, Kevin, Peter, or Alex to expand their portfolios.) Or worse, it has detrimental effects on people just living their lives or surviving. The new technology should not harm and yet data centers are certainly doing that at a record pace. It takes people willing to care enough to make it actually good for everyTHING, not just greedy humans. It takes someone willing to provide its value to the struggling, single mom and help ease her into using this amazing invention while still leaving her enough money to buy groceries. That's when these super-cool, amazing inventions get accepted. I'm trying, but it's still out of my range and not useful enough for me. I've had to explain too much to it and I still come up with better solutions to my problems. All I did was waste a half hour getting it to understand my question. I'm 60, college educated business major, and see the usefulness, but also see where men will use it for abuse and self gain. I will wish for AI to be used for legal reform, replacing government positions to be more moral and fair than any human could be. Until it becomes a good thing for all, and not a "this will make your business explode and you will be super rich and powerful", I'll be skeptical.
i hear you. i have seen too many "this will make you super rich and powerful" content everywhere and i'm against it. getting rich or building a functioning company is far more complex than just knowing how to prompt an AI. its never that easy. i think people who do that are just in it to sell courses.
i would want to know your experience, where you wasted half an hour getting it to understand your question. can i ask what happened? and what tool you used?
This one: 1898 — “Vaccination a delusion; its penal enforcement a crime.” — Alfred Russel Wallace, on vaccines. Reminds me of COVID-19 as well as a certain cabinet member. The rest are fantastic, such foresight by important people. ?
this new thing is too flawed, too dangerous, too weird to matter, and then it matters more than anything else.