Real intelligence is sexy

I’m a fan of AI and have been using various applications in my work for years. It’s definitely a time saver for certain tasks like brainstorming ideas, cleaning up grammar, and formatting copy quickly. 

I’m also enjoying the AI DJ on Spotify that just popped up as an option in my account. It’s a fun new way to enjoy my eclectic playlists.

But if I’m being honest, AI as a whole isn’t all that exciting.

Not in a real intelligence is sexy kind of way.

For all its utilitarian usefulness, AI lacks spark. Fire. That somethin’-somethin’ that makes your heart race and cheeks flush.

There's no question, AI is the popular kid at school right now

AI is one of the most popular topics of conversation these days, with the range of headlines spanning from one extreme to the other. 

The sky is falling!

The opportunities are endless!

And everything in between.

The biggest fear seems to be AI taking over everything, including being human. That at some point, we are going to turn into robots controlled by robots. (I wrote about this fear in a previous post which you can read here.)

But before we run for the hills…

Let's not forget that AI ≠ a brain. Or a body. It knows what it's been trained on, but it doesn't actually think.

And it definitely doesn’t feel. 

It's a complex, large machine language model.

A tool. 

Like a hammer. Or a saw. Or a wooden spoon.

That's why there's plenty of room for people to make original creative content.

That's why there's more room than ever for being human.

Real intelligence is sexy 

If anything, human-generated content and genuine human connection will become MORE valuable as the market continues to be flooded with unoriginal, boring, and vapid AI-generated garbage. 

Remember: We humans are a fickle bunch.

Even though it sometimes doesn’t look like we have any common sense, we actually have more than meets the eye. We get fed up with the way things are when things become absurd.  Review what brought the end of the Salem Witch Trials in October 1692 for evidence. (source)

I also recommend reading (or watching) Arthur Miller's The Crucible for a compelling look at what happens when people go too far. 

The saturation point with anything new and unfamiliar is always reached. At some point enough people get pissed off enough to do something about it.

This will happen with the current frenzy about AI. It will fizzle. The buzz will burn out. Human ingenuity and creativity will prevail. And the next big thing will emerge. 

AI is cool and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But last I checked, being human is cooler.

Real intelligence is sexy.

It’s what I want to go to bed with at night.