MIAMI, Fla. — I’m late to artificial intelligence and I’m not proud of it.
Nine weeks ago, I had no idea what this technology could do. I had heard a lot about AI; I had also read a lot about it. But I hadn’t used it. I thought I had no reason to use it.
I was wrong.
I learned how wrong I was when I went to Miami Book Fair last month and heard Kara Swishera writer whose high-tech journalistic credentials are perhaps unrivaled. Talk about his memories Burn Book: A technological love storyshe highlighted the danger of ignoring AI.
Swisher pointed out something important for those who believe in big ideas. Here’s what she said: Invest in technology.
This may be a position that people with money in the bank can take, but those who don’t should at least play with the AI and understand what it can do. I know from my experiences that AI can open up the world.
Ask AI to draft a legal document, AI will do it for you, but you won’t have to rely on it to replace your lawyer. Ask him to draw you a travel plan, he will do it. AI is more versatile than a Swiss army knife.
Don’t leave the house without it.
I know I won’t do it again. Call me the advertising executive for AI. I’m about to preach the gospel of AI to anyone who will listen. My first client was the assistant basketball coach of UNLVa good friend I spent time with during a trip to Las Vegas in early October.
As John drove me to Vegas, I took out my AI equipment. This was completely new territory for him. He wasn’t sure of the merits of AI until I discussed it with his son Cam. We picked him up from his high school.
He was in the back seat and I asked Cam, “Do you know about AI?”
The question was absurd. Not only was Cam familiar with the AI, but he also trusted it to help him with some of his missions. The AI wasn’t necessarily the first line of defense when he needed a helping hand, but it was an indispensable tool.
Cam’s response surprised John. He saw AI as too big a crutch to lean on. I laughed at such an idea. I told him I saw artificial intelligence as comparable to calculators, which has changed the way I use math.
Terms like differentials, denominators, fractional equations quickly went the way of the splendid poisonous frog. Is life worse without them?
Swisher said it best: “Use it for what it is.” »
I can’t argue with Swisher, who counts the stars of the tech world among his interviewees. Because what AI is, I tell everyone, it is an agent of change, a tool of tomorrow which has fallen into our hands today.
Echoing Swisher, I preach the value of artificial intelligence to everyone. I am a disciple of it, because I recognize how it transforms society. The benefits are both economic and intellectual. No one can afford to ignore it.
I have no way of speculating on the direction AI will take, but I think it’s a mistake not to follow its path.
Most importantly, I hope this isn’t a technology that young black people adopt too late. They can’t afford to miss this ride.
Judge B. Hill grew up and still lives in the Glenville neighborhood. He wrote and edited for several newspapers during his more than 25 years in daily journalism before moving into teaching at Ohio University. He stopped on May 15, 2019 to write and travel. He does both.