FUDdy duddies unite
Every single day of the last month, I've had a conversation with someone who has said something like this:
"It was great being off the grid on vacation. I wasn't reminded every minute how everyone else is winning AI and I'm not."
"Opening LinkedIn and X makes me even more anxious than usual because the subtext of every post about AI is YOU'RE A LOSER."
"I know I'm behind, but every conversation about AI is exhausting and dystopian"
I've heard it from founders and CEOs, engineers and salespeople and designers, early-career people and executives. For one every person saying, "I'm excited," another ten are saying, "The relentless pace of AI is spiking my anxiety."
If you're stressed about the pace of AI, it isn't just you.
A very FUDdy data set
This is not a fancy data set, but it is a real one. I didn't make up that 10:1 stressed:excited ratio above.
I recently started a new project at work (more about that in a future installment). As a part of the project, I've connected with numerous people outside my day job about how they are reimagining work with AI. I've also continued to chat regularly with my usual network of founders, operators, and VCs.
In the last 30 days, I've had 52 1-1 conversations about aspects of AI transformation with people outside my own team. I rarely ask people to express any kind of personal sentiment; the conversations are more about facts than feelings. But that hasn't stopped people from sharing.
All told, just four of the 52 people volunteered that they feel excited about AI transformation. By contrast, 40 (!) people mentioned feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed (including three of the people who also said they feel excited).
These are not luddites. These are people who have built impressive careers in technology, including at very senior levels.
That's a lot of FUD. So no, it isn't just you.
It can all be true at the same time
Here's how I feel about the pace of AI: excited, curious, and anxious all at once. From foundation models to business models, AI is developing fast enough that only an AI can keep up with all of it. Ironic, no?
You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not. I am an epic reader and writer of words, but I've had to build agents to brief me, because there's way too much to sift through otherwise. If you can't keep up, the problem isn't you. You are a person, and you are subject to the laws of physics.
In that context, I feel all these things at the same time:
- Overwhelmed by the pace of AI and the conversation surrounding it
- Acceptance that it is impossible to keep up with
- Relieved that I can use technology to help me cope with the pace
- Creatively inspired by the connections my (human) brain is making and the ideas I have
- Worried that I won't be able to operationalize my insights fast enough
- Tired and excited by all of the above
I am a human roller coaster.
All you can do is build and learn
Even people who like roller coasters get motion sick sometimes. A number of people in tech are wondering if it's time to get off the ride. But while most of them earn a good living, they haven't amassed the wealth to let them retire. So increasingly, I'm seeing people in tech exit by choice into other kinds of work, often more sensory, tactile work. I get it.
But if you're going to stick around the tech industry, there's only one real option: Get uncomfortable and try stuff. It is virtually a given that the job you are currently doing won't look the same in a few years.
If that sounds scary, remember that this has always been true, and tech workers have always risen to the occasion. By the time someone has worked in tech for 10+ years, they have typically worked at multiple companies, and often in multiple disciplines too. In fact, an astounding number of AI leaders are career changers; they did not start out where they are now.
The bottom line: The FUD is real. It is not in your head, and feeling stress is a normal reaction to the pace of change right now. But if any part of you is excited, don't disembark too quickly. All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.
Kieran
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