Ever wonder what life must have been like in the 1910’s?
Life in that era was changing rapidly due to the inventive ingenuity of the human imagination, especially in the transportation market.
Ford’s Model T debuted in 1908, and by 1925 was priced within range of a horse and buggy. In those first years, there were those who were panicked and angry thinking that these cars had come to take the horse’s jobs.
Ultimately, those people’s concerns were realized.
But not in 1908.
And really not in 1925.
Why?
Because to use a car, you had to be able to drive a car.
Fast forward to today where we are seeing yet another once-in-a-lifetime technology introduced—AI. It will change the world just like the car did, but technological adoption takes time.
You don’t need to worry about AI taking your job just yet.
But you might want to learn how to drive.
Replaceable?
Whether you like it or not, AI is already skilled at writing, digital art, and a few other things that aren’t on my radar because it’s growing faster than any of our rate of learning.
Fearful detractors will say AI simply cannot do what a human can do.
This reminds me of an era where critics would look at the first 3D video games parroting “These graphics may be groundbreaking for today but it doesn’t actually resemble real life.”
Then in the blink of an eye we went from this to this.
AI is not done evolving. If you are unimpressed with its imperfect emulation of human-generated work, all you have to do is wait. The only limitation to AI's ability will be our own imaginations. But it's already doing this:
These are all images I created, 100% AI generated, using Midjourney.
AI debuted at a highly developed state, but the possibilities for its evolution are unfathomable. The art and writing emerging now are just the Beta of AI. The tip of the iceberg.
Beautiful.
Frightening.
Digital Survival
Should copywriters and marketers like me be afraid of AI?
I’m a hiker and I’ve bagged about 10 different summits of 10,000+ elevation.
When hiking summits, you cannot afford to ignore the weather patterns or else you’ll risk getting hung out in a life-threatening storm that is beyond your control. Despite my best prep, I've been hung out ONCE in a mountaintop lighting fiesta, and only by the grace of God was I not hairsprayed with 300M volts during a 60 minute downhill sprint towards the treeline.
The wilderness presents a healthy fear for the wise, but that fear does not keep us from the wild.
The evolutions and revelations in the AI wilderness demand our reverence, and the brain bots are already infringing on creative industries, law, therapy, and more. We have to respect that, and must be prepared.
We are talking about smart software, with instant search/indexing/reference capabilities. Consider how many professions are simply humans who organize, create, keep, and distribute information.
Accountants
Bankers
Compliance Officers
Professional Assistants
Travel Agents
Writers
Lawyers
Teachers
HR
Now add the artistic creation element to the equation.
What will Hollywood look like in a world where AI writes scripts, creates CGI, and impersonates voice and personality? Tom Cruise got replaced by AI before any of us.
When we look at AI and say “you can’t tell the difference”, that’s when replaceability becomes reality. You had a good run, Tom.
So, what do we do?
Living on an AI-land
Advice floating around the internet about dodging AI’s career-threatening impact tends to be vague and unhelpful. I think it was generated by AI...
Just use AI as a tool.
Just adapt.
Just do better work.
Gross.
AI is a big deal. Let’s treat it that way. Some of us actually have to adapt quite a bit because of it, and there's a lot more of that on the horizon.
Here are some things I’m doing in 2023 so I can still pay bills in 2025.
Understand the economic milieu
Yesterday was an establishment economy.
Today is a creator economy.
Tomorrow? The idea economy.
The opportunity to put AI to work has me thinking more about starting new businesses than I ever have. These tools are making it easier to do than it’s ever been.
But in the meantime...
Keep working
You don’t concede a Monopoly before you've collected $200. If AI freaks you out, keep playing. Today has enough worries of its own.
I’m still writing killer copy for my clients, and I’m also positioning my brand to offer more marketing services like funnel building and social media ad campaigns that will put AI to work rather than compete with it.
If a client doesn't have time to write copy for themselves, they probably don't have time to master and use AI effectively. There’s always a way to be useful.
Come to terms and learn
AI is here, and the toothpaste isn’t going back in the tube.
So start learning now.
I’m being more proactive than ever about learning what the technologies offer and how they can create opportunities to expand my work in the near future. Anyone hiding out and hoping this will all blow over is going to emerge from hibernation in a world they don’t know how to live in.
I’m learning the heck out of AI through Twitter follows, weekly Zoom workshops, and newsletters like Through the Noise.
Seize AI opportunities
For the techies who are up for it, AI will create a ton of new jobs.
Mastery over Microsoft Office, Wix, MailChimp, or Salesforce has created entire careers on the back of software proficiency. AI will expand this trend exponentially for those who are spending their time mastering the always-emerging AI platforms.
You may have heard already that prompt engineers are banking as professionals with AI software that hasn't been public for half a year.
Remember, someone has to drive the car.
It's Still Your World
I launched my copywriting career in Feb 2023, pretty much the moment Chat GPT blew up.
Not gonna lie, I didn’t love that. This has caused hours upon hours of learning and readapting to in career path I was already rebuilding from scratch.
But what else can you do but persevere?
You won't lose your job to AI, but if your strategy is to lay low, you'll lose your job to someone using AI.
Some out there are in the middle of a $120k university major in a field that will be completely redefined by AI before they’ve got a degree. Others just started over like me.
Keep going.
And as you go, get informed, plan your steps, and become valuable for the world that exists tomorrow, because yesterday is gone.
You can do it.
Be blessed.
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