What a great question for this EcoTrain QOTW come-back!
One I couldn't resist and had to join. Mostly because it hits very close to home.
So let me tell you why before I answer the question.
Lemons and Lemonade
Not so very long ago, our situation here was a little dire, to say the least.
For almost a year, I didn't know whether I was coming or going, and whether to buy food or pay rent.
I guess that time gave me something I desperately needed: Reflection.
Wasn't I the one who always looked on the bright side of life?
Heck, I even wrote a whole series of manifestation posts, trying to teach others how it's done!
Then why was it, that in that moment of time, I just couldn't practice what I preached?
Well, that's more a question to answer another time, but it was how it all began.
I set off on a road to find something. I didn't quite know what it was when I started.
But in between sending out 100s of job applications and receiving 100s of rejections, something happened. (I'm serious, I literally applied for every job out there. Teaching, hospitality, online jobs, everything...)
It was pretty bad, and the situation had to change. I taught English for a while for 5 bucks an hour. It was feeding my family so I wasn't picky.
I was going through all the job boards I could find, online and locally, I was watching an endless number of videos online on how to make money on the side, you name it. And then I found her...
Well, not exactly a 'she' but let's call IT that.
AI came into my life.
It wasn't that I had never heard of AI before, or never experienced it, because I had.
But somehow, all of a sudden, it was everywhere.
And then a friend pointed out this job, concerning AI. Training AI.
It peaked my interest. I applied. Went through some qualifications, et voila!
Yours truly can call herself an AI trainer.
It changed my life. Quite literally so.
And with it, other doors also opened. Somehow it works that way, don't ask me how.
I started last May, and by now I have a list of probably 200+ AI tools for all kinds of stuff.
From video creation to photo enhancing, to voice cloning and art creation.
You name it, I have it.
I mean, come on! Isn't this amazing?
It was like stepping into a whole new world of possibilities and options.
I almost felt like I did when I first heard of crypto...
In fact, it's the first thing since crypto that keeps me up at night. Literally.
Not in an unhealthy way (all the time, hehe) but it sure does.
So back to the question of the week...
AI: The Beginning or the End?
If it was that simple, we wouldn't be asking the question.
There is nothing simple about the subject.
In fact, it is about as complicated as it gets.
I see this in my work every day. One day I'm reading things an AI created and I think: 'Gosh, we have a LOOOONG way to go. This thing doesn't understand the simplest things.' And a few days, or weeks later, the same thing comes up and I have this WOW moment. Completely in awe of what this bot can do. Incredible.
But you know what?
We are teaching them all of that!
Us! There's nothing an AI bot can do without it being taught it first. Nothing.
Sure, we're at the point where one bot can teach the other, but the true origin is still coming from us.
When I first started this work, I had friends tell me that I was now working 'for the man' doing 'the man's bidding', and yes, I have seriously thought about it too.
But then I think, I'd rather know what they're up to. Am I right?
There have to be 'good ones' on the inside to keep things equal, don't you think? I know I do!
For instance, our AI bots are not allowed to act as if they were human. They are not allowed to express emotions or feelings. They sure as hell can't tell you what a pizza tastes like, so there's that. And they never will.
I think the question of whether AI is the Beginning or the End, has to be refined to:
Do we want Swim against the (AI) Stream or Embrace it?
Hey, I'm the first one to go against something if the narrative tells you to swim with the stream. But in this case it's different.
When the internet first came around the corner, how many people wanted to stop the time and keep it from their homes? I know a few. Could it be stopped? Nope.
The same with smart phones.
I personally tried to keep it from our home as long as I could. My eldest didn't have a phone until she was 13 and started school in a town 20 minutes away from us. While all of her friends had a 'good, and kinda smart' phone, she had one that was made for its purpose: call and text. That was it! No camera, nothing.
But it's something that couldn't be stopped, even when I tried.
Because that same child then gets a summer job, and there's nothing I can do about her buying her own. I'm an anarchist, I can't tell my children that they can't buy something with their own money. The only thing I can do, is guide them and trust that they will make the right choices (and not buy an iPhone 😆).
It's exactly the same with AI. We can be against it. We can be afraid of it. We can swim against the stream. But it can't be stopped either way.
So why not just embrace it and try to make the best of it?
Some people say that AI will take over everything. I don't agree.
Can a robot with AI capabilities eventually bring you your food and coffee? Sure. That's already here now. But there will always be a majority of people who prefer to be served by a human being to have human being interactions with.
And those people won't go to an all robot AI coffee shop or restaurant.
Can an AI bot serve your fries at Mickey D's and ring you up at the counter?
Yup. Yes they can. But is this really a loss of a job to cry about?
There will always be something else to do!
Loss or Opportunity?
I look at the AI art someone created, or even what I created, and I'm amazed at the endless possibilities. A 'true' artist, a painter or even a digital artist, might say that I didn't create a thing and they would be both wrong and right. Fact is that the whole thing that's called 'AI prompting' is an art in itself. Not everyone can do it. Just like not everyone can take a good photo or paint an amazing painting.
And even if you can, there is always someone who's better than you. And that's perfectly fine!
Why even argue about it? (I know, no one's arguing but me right now LOL).
What I'm trying to say is that, personally, AI has opened doors that I never thought could open.
I've since studied and practiced as if my life depends on it. Just like I dove into the world of crypto back in 2016, I am now immersed in the world of AI and all its wonder.
It's like being back in college. And DAMN that's a long time ago.
It keeps my brain going and working. So even if I'd only see it as brain training, it would be a good thing.
Conclusion
I could write about this subject forever. But I'd say you'd lose interest after 2000 words...
I have to conclude this somewhere. So here.
AI can be seen as a bad thing. As the end of things. As the end of jobs.
But in my opinion, it gives people an opportunity to find what they truly want to do with their lives. Maybe someone at McDonalds would never think of becoming a creator with the help of AI tools, but now that this stupid AI robot has taken their job, they're rethinking their options and they might just find what they're good at. It doesn't have to be with AI. Maybe they always wanted to paint or train horses...
Just like lots of people have lost their jobs during the 'event' of 2020 and onwards, and then decided to become entrepreneurs, and are doing really well and doing what they love.
I'm not saying everyone but lots have.
There will always be a market for all kinds of things. So why not embrace AI coming into our lives? We can't stop it, it's already here.
So is AI the beginning or the end?
It's both. It's the beginning of something new, new opportunities, new worlds to discover.
It can also be used as a tool of control. It really depends how you look at it. I don't let the downsides get to me. Everything has an up and a down.
And it's the end of many things. Many things that don't even serve us anymore.
Who wants that job at that fast food joint anyways? No one actually enjoys working there!
It's survival for some, yes, absolutely. But that doesn't mean they can't be elsewhere and be actually happy with what they do!
AI is here to stay, so let's jump right in, because the water is just fine.
All images created by me with the help of leonardo.ai and lunapic. Text created by yours truly, straight from the brain.
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