AI made me a better neighbor.
Being a Good Neighbor
I must say, I’ve never been more human-centric than I am now, and that is thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). I believe in people. I am truly seeing the unique value that people of all types bring to our society. Maybe that is in part because I’m a father of two girls. But, another aspect of it is being part of a small neighborhood in Mt.Lebanon. For the last 13 years or so, I truly understand now what it means to be a neighbor and to connect with people around you. Being a neighbor means caring for the people and the property around you. It means helping a neighbor out by picking up their kid at school, or storing their food in your fridge during a power outage, or getting the street out for a block party.
2nd Annual QuestFest, Summer of 2023.
Could AI become a great neighbor? Probably. But why should it? That suggests we need to replace our current human acts of neighborliness, and to me, that is a waste of the technology as we already do this very well.
AI as a Threat
I do see AI as a threat. AI codes, designs, and writes go-to-market strategies. It builds spreadsheets, executes research in a fraction of the time, solves problems with multi-agents, and so much more.
“AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs — and spike unemployment to 10-20% in the next one to five years, Amodei told us in an interview from his San Francisco office.”
Like most of us, I’m sure, I have a weird relationship with AI. This is an emerging time, which is thrilling and terrifying. But I have been someone who quickly learns and adapts to situations. Standing still and becoming complacent, or blindly following a crowd, is just not my modus operandi.
How I’m Harnessing AI
As AI gets more powerful and intelligent, I plan to stay at the forefront. Here are some of the things that I’ve been doing to stay relevant and informed:
I spend time learning how AI works and how models are trained, exploring concepts related to OpenAI, Perplexity, Anthropic, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), among others.
I work with new tools that are being released at a rapid pace, such as FigmaAI, Subframe, Glide, Google Gemini Gems and Notebooks, and Apple Intelligence.
I stay informed about the global race for the best AI technology by following chip manufacturers like Nvidia and Rigetti Computing, as well as tech innovators around the world.
I spend time teaching my children (ages 7 and 10) about AI. Three times a week, we dedicate 15 minutes to discussing and exploring AI. They are learning how to recognize it, understand it, use it, and protect themselves from its potential dangers.
In conclusion
While I view AI as a potential threat, I also see it as an opportunity to bring people closer together. I wish the best for AI, its creators, and those affected by it. Though I don’t feel the same fondness for AI as I do for my neighbors, I am ready to adapt in any way necessary.
(While the concepts are mine, and I did choose to keep some of my poor grammar, the words in this article were refined by AI)