The way we talk about AI is all wrong
“Do you use AI?” It’s an odd question, if you think about it.
I think the way we talk about artificial intelligence today is wrong.
The conversation is either ambiguous, or philosophical, or technical, creating confusion. We talk about it in a primitive way – what does the question “Do you use AI?” even mean?
It reminds me of the early days of the internet.
Do you remember your first time going on the internet?
I do. It was 1995, and my sister was in college. The university recommended that she get internet access for her studies. We were at her place, and I begged her to let me try this crazy new thing called “the internet.” She finally conceded.
I sat down at the big clunky PC monitor, clicked two fateful words: “SIGN ON,” and my world was never the same again.
To this day, I still remember that modem screeching to life. Do you know the sound? It sounded something like… Pshhhkkkkkkrrrr kakingkakingkaking tshchchchchchchchcch *ding*ding*ding* (Bri Kimmel / X)
Do you remember this screen? This is what I was presented with on that fateful day in 1995.
Above: In 1995, we didn’t know what the internet was or what it would become. “Do you use the internet?” was a reasonable question at the time, but is silly in hindsight. The internet, like AI today, is a collection of tools – not a singular “thing.”
In 1995, I didn’t understand what the internet was. Most people didn’t. It wouldn’t have been out of place to ask a question that would today seem quaint – “Do you use the internet?”
Today, asking, “Do you use the internet?” would be out of place. The more appropriate question would be specific to how you are using the internet or what tool you are using – streaming video, scrolling social media, doing online banking, and so on.
I think we should stop asking people if they use Artificial Intelligence and start asking them what AI tools they use instead.
💡 Takeaway: AI simply represents a set of tools—a collection of digital co-workers with whom we can collaborate to do our jobs more effectively and efficiently. A great question is, “What AI tools do you use to do your job?”
Nearly Half of Working Adults in the U.S. are Using AI Tools
According to research published in April 2024, nearly half (44%) of employed adults in the U.S. say they use AI at work.
Working adults are also more likely to think that AI has a positive impact (42%) on the workplace than a negative one (30%).
But the findings have an interesting nuance under the surface. The research, conducted by Morning Consult, breaks down respondents by generation.
The first question is, “What percentage of employed adults use AI for work?”
Above: Millennials are more than twice as likely to use AI for work as their Baby Boomer counterparts, based on The State of Workers Report study by Morning Consult. (April 2024)
There was a stark difference in how Gen X and Baby Boomers responded to the survey compared to Millenials and Gen Z.
Personally, I was born in 1981, right on the border of Millennials and Gen X. Most definitions put me just slightly on the side of being a millennial (my team once sent me an article about why I should be proud to be a geriatric millennial 🤦).
I don’t know about you, but this validates the feelings many of us have had about using AI at work. We’re torn about the use of AI.
As a Millennial, I squarely fit into the 56% of my peers using AI at work. But being just on the border of Gen X, I feel the tension. Is AI more helpful or more hassle? Do I need to learn another new technology? What about the concerns of AI?
The study goes on to show that while adult workers are generally more optimistic about AIs' impact on the workplace, Baby Boomers are not so optimistic.
Above: More employed adults are optimistic about AI's impact on the workplace, but that optimism is not uniform across generations, with 45% of Baby Boomers having a negative outlook.
The fears that accompany every new technology are typically well-founded. After all, in 1452, the introduction of the printing press led to the loss of specific jobs and changed countless others. The printing press has been used to spread misinformation. The nature of art and writing has changed with the mass accessibility of print. People have been taken advantage of throughout history with the printed word.
However, the adverse outcomes of the printed word do not mean that print technology has been bad overall. I think most people would agree that the printed word has been good for humanity over the past 500 years.
We humans are resilient and adaptable. The printing press, the Industrial Revolution, and the information age all brought massive technological change, complete with significant negative outcomes. We must be wise about the negative effects of new technology and actively work to mitigate those downsides.
Humans are resilient, but we do take time to adapt, and that’s okay. We shouldn’t be afraid to utilize tools of technology to do our jobs better.
Scott Galloway, Professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business, put it much more bluntly – “AI won’t take your job. Someone using AI will.”
💡 Takeaway: Generations adapt to technology differently, but we do adapt. With 44% of employed adults already using AI in their daily work, we are already learning new skills, gaining new abilities, and saving time.
Until next week… Surfs Up! 🌊
- Dave
About the Author | Dave Raley
Consultant, speaker, and writer Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps non-profits and businesses create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of a weekly trendspotting report called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands.
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