Are We Still Talking About the AI Revolution? (TL:DR - Yes)
Entrepreneur Office Hours - Issue #220
Let’s talk about AI.
To be fair, I know everyone is talking about AI. In fact, so many people are talking about AI that you probably rolled your eyes a bit when you saw that I’m about to discuss it, too.
But it’s actually all the discussion of AI that are actually what I’m interested in. I keep getting stuck in long, complex conversations about it. This week alone I was at dinner with a couple tech executives and they spent half the meal talking about how AI is going to change the workplace. I was meeting with a group of doctors about new technologies for their labs and the entire session devolved into a debate about AI in medicine. I even overheard my wife on an hour-long conference call for her job where the main focus was AI.
So what’s the deal? Is AI really so important that it’s the only thing we can discuss? Or is it just the new Web3 (i.e. the thing everyone talks about for a few months before we get burned out and move onto something else)?
The best perspective I encountered was during a lunch I had yesterday with one of my mentors. He’s literally been teaching entrepreneurship since before I was born, and I have lots of respect for his opinions. He was telling me about a call he and some of my fellow Duke business school faculty were having with a group of Stanford business school faculty, and apparently the conversation was focused on — you guessed it — AI.
“I don’t know what the big deal is,” my mentor said. “I remember having conversations about amazing new advancements in AI back in the 80s and we’re still waiting on some of those things to mature. The reality is that the impacts of technologies take time to ripple outwards and change the world. As they do, humans adapt, and new technologies become old technologies. This is a natural cycle.”
I shook my head in agreement. Considering all the people I’d recently heard discussing how AI was going to revolutionize everything, it was nice to hear a perspective with a bit more nuance.
To be clear, I’m not trying to minimize AI and its impacts. The advancements we’re seeing are amazing. But it’s a new technology, and new technologies, by definition become old technologies.
Remember, there was a time in human history when the smartphone was a revolutionary technology.
There was a time in human history when the television was a revolutionary technology.
There was a time in human history when the camera was a revolutionary technology.
There was a time in human history when the book was a revolutionary technology.
Heck, there was a time in human history when the written word — the thing you’re reading right now — was a revolutionary technology.
AI is the same. Yes, it’s revolutionary. But humans are great at adapting to revolutions and turning them into “the way things have always been.” So don’t focus so much on how it’s world-changing. Focus, instead, on how it’s world-saming. That’s where the real opportunity is.
-Aaron
This week’s new articles…
Why the Best Entrepreneurs Aren’t Nearly as Visionary as People Think
Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and other storied entrepreneurs might not be as creative as we’ve been led to believe.
What to Expect Once You’ve Finally Become a Billionaire Entrepreneur
I spoke with a billionaire entrepreneur, and even though he was rich, his life wasn’t at all like I’d imagined.
Office Hours Q&A
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QUESTION:
Hi Dr. Dinin,
I’ve been loving your Instagram posts. They’re so fun. I wish you were my professor.
I was just a little curious about how you decided to get started posting content. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but every time I try, I get too self-conscious and never press the “post” button.
I’d really appreciate any advice you can share for getting over that self-consciousness.
Thank you!
-Elle
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Everyone is self conscious.
EVERYONE.
To be fair, knowing everyone is self conscious doesn’t necessarily solve the issue, but misery loves company, so maybe simply knowing you’re not alone will get you over the hump.
Beyond that, I’d love to tell you there’s some magic solution to getting comfortable creating content. But there isn’t. I still notice every flaw in everything I produce.
Heck, even in this newsletter I’ve got stuff I’m self conscious of.
The trick, if there is one, is to keep reminding yourself that the embarrassment of posting content isn’t as bad as the opportunity you’re missing by not posting content.
Put another way, would you rather feel a little awkward about something you’re posting, or would you rather miss out on all the huge opportunities that come from reaching millions of people?
I know which one I’d prefer, and that’s why I keep pressing the “post” button.
Got startup questions of your own? Reply to this email with whatever you want to know, and I’ll do my best to answer!
