New technologies enable us to do things that weren’t possible before.
I recently read “The Notebook: A history of thinking on paper” by Roland Allen.
It argues that there are types of thinking that we just can’t do without a technology like paper.
Complex maths. Detailed arguments. Scientific research.
So what does AI technology help us do that we couldn’t do earlier?
It takes a lot of time and effort to build deterministic systems – something that provides a predictable, reliable and repeatable output.
That’s because I have limited time, knowledge and capacity – and I have to work within those constraints.
AI has sped that up. I’ve rebuilt in two days something that took me six months to create the first time around.
The problem with AI is that it is stochastic – and works on probabilities rather than certainties.
As a result it mimics creative, expressive and structured work – creating text, images, videos – or ingesting your mess of meeting notes and coming up with a passable summary.
Using this output directly is problematic. It comes across as false, as if you haven’t put the work in, like you’re passing off something else as your own.
But its unpredictable output is fine in situations like a chatbot that helps you interrogate a knowledge base, or a shopping assistant.
Here’s where I’ve leaned into using AI
- Generating code
- Fixing code
- Strategy and planning
- Research
- Drafts for compliance and boilerplate copy
- Text to voice
- Image animation
- Avatars that narrate text
And where I wouldn’t use it (yet).
- Writing posts / papers / books
- Outreach
- Decision support (without careful study)
Like most people, I’m still working through how to integrate these new technologies into my ways of working.
But I think it’s safe to say that using it will make it possible for you to do things that were pretty much impossible before.
How are you choosing to use or not use AI?
Handcrafted insight 