Will GAI be your bicycle?

It’s an interesting metaphor. And particularly apropos, in light of the recent debate around generative AI. Is it a tool that will propel us forward or become a threat to mankind? Friend or foe?

It all depends on your point of view.

Jobs was responding to a study reported in Scientific American back in 1981 that measured the efficiency of locomotion of all species. Humans did not fare well. But when the same tests were done with humans riding a bicycle, humans dominated. The concept resonated with Jobs, and he related it to computers, calling them “the bicycle of the mind.” He saw the computer as a tool that would make us faster, better, and smarter.

When the computer first proliferated, people were also worried. In his book “The Human Use of Human Beings,” published in 1950, the mathematician and computer pioneer Norbert Wiener expressed his concerns about the potential dangers of automation and the possibility of machines becoming so intelligent that they would threaten human existence.

So far, that hasn’t come to be.

Suffice it to say that the arguments around GAI are polarized, if not explosive. Some experts and thinkers continue to express concern that the development of advanced AI could pose a significant threat to humanity. They argue that as machines become more intelligent and capable, they could surpass human control and potentially cause harm. 

Others argue that the likelihood of this scenario is overstated and that the development of advanced AI could bring significant benefits to society. They point out that AI has the potential to solve many complex problems and improve our lives in countless ways.

Are we threatened by AI or welcoming it as a tool to advance our productivity and creativity? While there are undoubtedly nefarious uses for GAI, it most certainly will be transformative in many positive ways. And for most, it will be an augmentative technology. 

For now, it is a tool to be embraced, learned, and leveraged. Will it be your bicycle?

You may not lose your job to AI, but you might lose your job to someone using AI.