Will AI take over the world? It’s a question that’s being asked and answered in 80% of the articles travelling through my news feed everyday. I’d like to add my opinion into the mix with a resounding:

‘No, not yet!’

In fact from what I’ve seen so far, AI needs us far more than we need it (although I’m so happy to have it just one click away).

Remember the Calculator and Fax Machine

Perspective is always useful for me when having these types of ‘technology is going to take over the world’ conversations. And while one can go back a long way in our history, you could easily start at the calculator or fax machine (remember the fax machine?) or any other new invention that’s disrupted a space we humans apparently ‘owned’.

When these disruptions arrived on the scene we started having similar conversations to the ones we’re having today. We were awestruck by what they were capable of, and concerned by what they were going to do to humanity? Make us stupid, create massive layoffs, change the world into a place we didn’t want to go into, etc, etc. If machines could do all this, what would people be left to do?

ChatGPT‘s arrival has stirred up the dystopian conversation engine all over again, and we’re having the exact same conversations asking identical questions, fearing the ‘very definite’ obliteration of the human race.

Yawn

Of course I’m not privy to the circles that Sam Altman et al travel in, and I’m certain they’re aware of things I can’t even imagine, however, if this is it for now, we’re gonna be very OK. I smile as I see the Business Schools and Consultancies jump onto the bandwagon, offering courses, training and processes to help business navigate the world of AI, by taking advantage of the efficiencies it’s going to bring, and the cost saving, and the workforce downsizing. This always happens when a new disruption arrives. After a short while, when the hype dies down, we realise we’re still doing the same jobs, with some ChatGPT et al integrated into our working day (and night) to help with some of the heavy lifting. Then we relax, recalibrate and look for something else to get nervous about.

Chicken Bunny Chow and AI

The catalyst for my writing this morning was a client who’s got a Chicken Bunny Chow special coming up. They needed a flyer and a few social media posts. As you might imagine, searching for ‘chicken bunny chow’, on international stock photo platforms, doesn’t bring a wide variety of results. So I visited Bing’s Image Creator (I love playing with this engine and think it’s fabulous) and asked it to create a photo of ‘chicken bunny chow’. This is what I got:

chicken bunny chow by ai

It gave me the largest smile for a number of reasons, mostly because I realised that there are a few tweaks left to be made before AI can take over my job, or your job, and the world.

AI still needs us, a lot more than we need it. Like the calculator, and Combine Harvesters, and Excel Workbooks, and even the Fax Machine, I’m really glad it’s arrived to help with the heavy lifting. I get to reinvent my world, all over again, outsource some of the heavy lifting to ChatGPT, and find new and interesting ways to spend my time.