Don't Get Left Behind Out of Fear
I’ve seen too many people avoid AI like the plague, trying to convince themselves AI is a gimmick and won’t replace them. This is pure delusion.
No matter what we do, AI will, one day, be able to do our work. It’ll happen in a while for some, but many will start to suffer from it soon—if it hasn’t happened to them yet. That’s just reality.
I’m also convinced AI will improve every life on Earth in one way or another. Whether it be by being an assistant in some aspects of life, helping treat diseases, or even finding ways to improve our energy consumption.
Kids have it good now. They get to have the time to grow and become surrounded by AI before they get stuck in their ways.
Us adults aren’t so lucky.
We don’t really like nor excel at revamping the way we live, whether we admit it or not. AI’s development these years is likely only the start of all the changes we’ll see in our lives. Everything will change.
Let me take myself as an example.
I work as a project manager handling translation projects into 14 languages. Managing such projects is mostly about figuring out how to assign resources (ie. translators and reviewers) so we can meet deadlines on time and prioritize the right content. There’s obviously a human aspect to this. As of right now, people don’t trust AI much,1 but there’s also no denying a well-set AI could likely consider more variables. For instance, while I usually remember holiday dates for Japan, Korea, or Christian holidays in Europe, I’m always surprised when I get reminded there’s a holiday coming up in Brazil and deadlines need to be adjusted accordingly.
Similarly, I speak 5 to 6 languages and have dabbled into over 20 more. The languages I speak really well are part of me. They’ve helped me meet people from all around the world and connect with them. By avoiding relying on a “middle language,” people are more capable of sharing their thoughts. AI can already do instantaneous translation on a call or translate written text within seconds.
I’ve also written tons of articles on Medium and kept this newsletter for years now. I like to think my writing skills have gotten better but there’s no denying AI can write better pieces than I can. If I wanted, I could even use some tools to have it write in my style.
Now.
Does this mean I’m useless? Speaking foreign languages, writing online, and working as a project manager could be done by AI.
Asking AI to write for me wouldn’t feel like I am connecting to you, though. Relying on AI to speak a foreign language isn’t enough to create the emotional connection because languages are more than just words to translate. It would also not allow me to feel the pleasure of learning said language. Relying on AI to handle projects could be possible but it would lack the human touch people require of a project manager.
AI could do everything. It just shouldn’t.
So what are we supposed to do?
Learn to use it.
While I don’t write with AI, I like to copy-paste it for feedback in ChatGPT, even if I may not apply it because it’d make my piece too dry.
While I don’t use AI to speak foreign languages with people, I use it to learn languages, to practice, to teach me. Here’s just one example:
While I don’t use AI to manage my projects, I use it to verify my answers to queries or when I need help with figuring out a new tool at work.
AI is bound to keep developing. It’s easy to bury your head in the sand. It also won’t do you any good.
Start small. Experiment. Find small ways it could help you daily. And ramp up.
As a language learner, here are just a few ways to start:
Create sentences in your target language, get feedback, and ask for alternative ways to say the same thing.
Ask for a short story to practice reading.
Ask for an explanation filled with examples of a grammar pattern. Request examples to be about a topic you love so you can remember with ease.
Practice short conversations with the audio feature of ChatGPT/Gemini.
A new world is rapidly unfolding ahead of us. Don’t let it leave you behind.
Which makes sense when you see things like this