We are entering a new era. Artificial Intelligence is starting to cover basic tasks, to make complex decisions, to write, to design, to code, to analyze data… So, what now?
We don’t know if the big change will come in 2 years or in 20, but everything suggests it will be sooner rather than later. And that we are not fully prepared. Not at the educational level, not in the workplace, not in public administration. Not as a society.
Also, there are many skeptics, many people who I think still don’t see its almost certain global impact.
What we can do is explore. Try out all the tools available, at work and at home. Automate. Play. Make mistakes. The more we use them, the more we’ll understand their reach. And the less their future uses will surprise us.
And we’ll see more clearly how much this is going to change us.
I encourage you to install ChatGPT if you haven’t already (I hope you have) and…
- Take a picture of your fridge and ask what you can cook.
- Upload images of plants or bugs to identify them and learn how to treat them.
- Can’t remember the previous season of a show? Today I was watching Andor Season 2, and every time a familiar character appeared, photo → instant context.
- How does the washing machine work? → photo.
- What’s wrong with the boiler? → photo + explanation.
- Your guitar sounds too heavy? Ask what to adjust.
- Is the blue wire L or N? Upload the image of the electrical connection.
- Practice your English, your pronunciation, your presentations…
- Plan a trip based on your preferences, dates, and budget.
- Ask what a complicated medical or legal term means.
- Take a picture of a disassembled piece of furniture and let it tell you how to put it together.
- Ask for gift ideas based on age, interests, and budget.
- Check if an invoice, clause, or contract has anything odd.
- Use it as a note-taker. I talk to it out loud and then ask it to organize and remember. I can “argue” with my notes… amazing.
(I’ve already done all this and more…)
Professions are going to change. Some will disappear. Others will mutate. Will it be necessary to learn languages? Or will AI translate everything in real time? Will psychologists, drivers, designers, programmers, analysts, translators, and administrative roles still exist?
In many cases, surely yes… but their role won’t be the same. Nor their scale.
Take a look at this forecast for 2030 published by the World Economic Forum: The most in-demand skills of the future:
With my good friend and colleague Alba Martínez, we talked about this, agreed, and started theorizing about the opportunities in 10–20 years. We thought…
What will move society in the future?
We started revisiting the famous Maslow’s pyramid. What happens when the base is covered by technology? Food, shelter, safety… all automated. Human needs may shift upward:
- The need for deep and real connection
- The need for meaning and purpose
- The need to explore creativity without limits
- The need to live transformative and vital experiences
- The need to find a form of personal or collective transcendence
That’s where new opportunities lie. New questions. And a lot to redefine.
And what about regulation? Will we be capable, as humanity, of governing and using well something that could replace us? Will we be able to set boundaries, knowing there are large corporations and strong interests pushing?
I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a conviction: we must stay alert, keep an open mind, and embrace these changes with technological optimism.
If used well, this can lead us to a better world. But also to other very cinematic ones…
What do you think? How do you believe AI will change our society?I’d love to read your thoughts. I’ll keep writing and thinking about it for sure! (and experimenting)
Marc.
Don’t have fear, just embrace it!
Not Wasted Time 