Notes for Week 40, 2024

Song of the week:

Notes

I keep hearing that we're living in a 'pivotal time' and facing an 'unprecedented future.' Juxtapose this against commentary that we've managed to succumb vast amounts of wealth and even resources to systems that often badly interpret language to compose legible sentences as-a-service. Either side of the spectrum, AI is the hot topic.

It reminds me a bit of 2006. It was about a year before Apple were due to launch the iPhone. Which, despite the pre-ambling rumours, was still a surprise, a smash hit and one of the iconic moments where Jobs was in full flow; using every ounce of his mind to translate a seriously technical marvel into something everyone could understand.

That iPhone launch, and being in the Apple ecosystem for so many years (including working in a technical service centre) is likely one of the reasons I wound up in presales (solution engineering, architecture, etc. etc. It has so many names). Turning something like an API or protocol into conceivable outcomes for a business, individual user or enterprise partner is something I really enjoy. I get to pretend to be a mini Steve Jobs every week, but without the pretence of being a product manager!

All of this is to say that I feel like a similar arc is going to happen to someone right now, who today is in their early to mid twenties, looking at AI. Slightly confused, wrapped in internet drama about it but having their sensibilities piqued. And what's missing for this twenty-something future presales leader? In my mind, it's a lack of leadership. I had Steve Jobs. Hell, I even had Bill Gates or any number of interesting leaders to read books on or listen to interviews with. Today, leaders and technologists are far more accessible thanks to social media, a trillion podcasts and youtube. But there's no one quite nailing the narrative of AI. None of the leaders in the space are articulating the raw need for AI in daily life.

No one has had their "phone, iPod, internet communicator" moment. And that moment may have passed already because AI is a commonplace phrase. Which is either really good or really bad, pending which side of the proverbial fence you sit on.

I'm sure someone will articulate it well at a micro-level. But even companies leaning into AI investments for faster, improved support ticket responses are laying out phrases like "living in a pivotal moment in human history," or "the way we build civilisation and interact with the world will soon look quaint." I am quoting people here. This means nothing to the discerning man or woman who is likely to log a ticket and expect a quick and accurate response. Nor does it mean anything to the company who's seeking to provide a better customer experience.

Apple's own attempts to Apple-ify AI doesn't even mean anything to most consumers. And even if they did manage to make it digestibly real, they've decided to complicate things by going down an anti-EU regulation route which sours anyone's potential lust for innovation.

I do think AI will be real. It is real. But the idea that it's some sort of second-coming prophetic future for humanity is madness. It's actively filled the internet with garbage, has a rarity in being accurate (regardless of whether this is through natural language or programming co-pilot functionality). Trying to shovel alpha-level research tech in front of people and expecting them to be bowled-over in awe is a level of techbro insane I didn't think we could reach. Yet here we are.

Jobs didn't stand on stage until the iPhone was cooked. It was ready, baked in the oven to perfection. It worked. When your finger touched an icon, something happened. He explained why it would be useful to you. He didn't wax lyrical about ARM chips not needing fans. He talked about what you were actually going to do with it (consolidate devices and have a better experience on your phone). It revolutionised all of humanity. It didn't even do it quietly! And yet somehow that playbook, such a clearly articulated, taught-at-MBA-level playbook just isn't being used by the techbros who somehow think the playbook from crypto can apply to AI.

AI is going to be great. It'll do wonderful things. But none of the leaders out there are inspiring anyone to hop on-board, build practical interesting things and articulate them to the people who might find them useful. Instead we're hearing platitudes about how millionaires lives are going to improve.

(via flickr)

Tabs

Meta

Published on: 4th October, 2024

Tagged With: