I know the day is coming when AI and autonomous vehicles will replace those of us driving for Uber and other ride-sharing services. Maybe in the future, drivers like me will be asked to “ride along” with the passengers so they will have access to the ears and sage advice we impart these days.
After all, a saloon (are they still called saloons?) might prepare cocktails and pour draft beers using some robot, but can that robot provide the listening ear and cultured intelligence of our best bartenders? I think not!
I guess now is a good time to confess my own sins when it comes to artificial intelligence.
Take a moment to re-read the previous sentence. I’ll admit that I use the Grammarly software to help me write better sentences.
Grammarly told me to write it this way: Now is a good time to confess my sins regarding artificial intelligence. I usually take Grammarly’s advice. Sometimes not. Grammarly hates the phrase “I guess…” It (I don’t know Grammarly’s pronouns) tells me I should sound more authoritative. I guess that’s right.
I know Grammarly is a mild form of AI. More robust programs can learn the nuances of our regional and cultural language differences. However, I bet they are still talking about how ignorant their users are when they get together at conventions.
We should be concerned about some of the pitfalls and negative possibilities in our future. But I’m the eternal optimist. That attribute serves me well most of the time. Besides, I have access to more than enough folks that will tell me why everything won’t work.
I wrote a blog a few years ago titled “Car College.” Between rides and during long commutes, I’ve listened to more blogs and audiobooks, which have informed me substantially more than my four and a half years at a university. (I’ll take at least 50% of the blame for any shortfall while pursuing my bachelor’s degree. The professors would probably assign more credit my way.)
I was listening to one of those podcasts when I heard about an AI program some British and European schools are utilizing. Each student has a computer equipped with the ability to determine their current aptitude and preferences. As the program learns more about the student’s strengths and weaknesses, it changes the algorithms to customize instructions for each child.
When I was a high school student, I loved Latin. Well, I tolerated it. I learned enough of the language to understand that “tri” means three in English. I don’t remember knowing what “gonometry” meant when translated, but I took an entire course in it. My point is that AI might have moved me quicker through Latin while patiently working me through “sines” and “cosines,” terms I haven’t used since I graduated college. Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent!
Unfortunately, today’s schools often force the instructors to teach to the lowest common denominator, which I believe helps neither the gifted nor the challenged. (Grammarly doesn’t like the words “I believe,” but I’m not an authority, so there!)
In the AI-taught system, the teachers act as coaches. Can you imagine how rewarding it must be to see each individual achieving their best version of themselves?
The podcast didn’t go further into this practice, but it prompted me to consider how we could use this technology in different periods of our lives. Our interests and capabilities differ as we mature and acquire experience.
Guidance counselors and career advisors generally give direction once in our lives. Some of us receive advice in our teens or early twenties. Usually, the only other time career directors advise is after we’ve crashed in our current vocations and need to start over.
Maybe the proper AI process can help us determine whether we’re on the right path. I’ve read that we need three things to have a rewarding career. First, do something you love. Second, do something you’re good at. Third, do something that has actual value for a market.
I can’t tell you how often I’ve listened to folks who have spent years in a career and regretted never doing what they love. They usually miss at least one of the three things required for a successful life, not just a job.
Am I over-optimistic about the future of AI? Maybe. I’m unsure how much I would have changed my life with the technology. But, then again, I’m not through. Maybe I needed all my life’s experience to realize what I want and am good at.
I understand the hesitancy and anxiety about the changes we will experience during the next few years. A computer program might have kept me from the lessons life gave to me.
I began my first college year as a pre-law major. Next, I majored in transportation to run our family business. For several years, I loved the logistics business. Then, I became one of the few Realtors sued into the residential real estate industry after a bloody family feud. Back to logistics. Then, commercial real estate. Next, I joined a group of dedicated Catholic nuns begging for help to care for the elderly.
My career advisor suggested I add Ubering to round out a full life. (Well, maybe that was my wife, if I remember correctly.)
Now, I write blogs and columns for a beautiful bunch of people. I am optimistic about my future. I’ll continue to listen to Grammarly unless I like my version better. That happens a lot.
Maybe a computer program would have sent me down a different road. I’m glad it didn’t.
God Bless!
Tommy
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