It is Sunday, and I came home after a good badminton match where I lost badly to my athletic little brother. I ate some snacks and rested for a while. The open laptop on the big monitor was staring at me from my desk, where I sit and do all my work. I closed the book I was reading, sat down in my chair, and started the machine.
While it powered on, I kept thinking about what new thing I should learn today, or what new piece of technology I should get myself acquainted with. As an AI engineer, I naturally thought I should read up on the latest developments in AI. Should I look into Jev, the System 1 model released by TypeSafe that everyone seems to be discussing, or should I read the DeepMind Institute essays that have been gaining traction?
The screen lit up. I opened my browser and kept staring at the URL bar for five minutes, not knowing what to do.
Is it even worth learning anymore? AI easily surpasses my individual capabilities, and the things I was once known for are readily handled by current models. There is an impending feeling that the expertise I spent years building will be devalued in a year or two.
When that happens, what value do I add? What will I have left to contribute? What is my purpose, and how do I serve? If the skills that differentiated me from the crowd can be replicated so easily, where does that leave me? How do I find meaning in my work when I worry that the foundation of my identity might no longer matter?
I have supported AI throughout my professional life, and I do not intend to lean into doomerism. Still, I doubt I am the only person who feels this sense of helplessness in the face of modern AI systems.
For now, I have settled on a non-fiction book I have been meaning to read. I am too tired to think about this anymore, and perhaps too afraid. Maybe I will find my meaning in something else, and maybe you will too. Until then, keep exploring.
It is Sunday, and I came home after a good badminton match where I lost badly to my athletic little brother. I ate some snacks and rested for a while. The open laptop on the big monitor was staring at me from my desk, where I sit and do all my work. I closed the book I was reading, sat down in my chair, and started the machine.
While it powered on, I kept thinking about what new thing I should learn today, or what new piece of technology I should get myself acquainted with. As an AI engineer, I naturally thought I should read up on the latest developments in AI. Should I look into Jev, the System 1 model released by TypeSafe that everyone seems to be discussing, or should I read the DeepMind Institute essays that have been gaining traction?
The screen lit up. I opened my browser and kept staring at the URL bar for five minutes, not knowing what to do.
Is it even worth learning anymore? AI easily surpasses my individual capabilities, and the things I was once known for are readily handled by current models. There is an impending feeling that the expertise I spent years building will be devalued in a year or two.
When that happens, what value do I add? What will I have left to contribute? What is my purpose, and how do I serve? If the skills that differentiated me from the crowd can be replicated so easily, where does that leave me? How do I find meaning in my work when I worry that the foundation of my identity might no longer matter?
I have supported AI throughout my professional life, and I do not intend to lean into doomerism. Still, I doubt I am the only person who feels this sense of helplessness in the face of modern AI systems.
For now, I have settled on a non-fiction book I have been meaning to read. I am too tired to think about this anymore, and perhaps too afraid. Maybe I will find my meaning in something else, and maybe you will too. Until then, keep exploring.