The next stage of evolution
Artificial Intelligence has been around for quite a while. Our computers, smartphones, and all IoT devices have utilized AI to make them "smart." However, generative AI has taken the world by storm because it has started doing what we thought machines could never do—create.
Generative AI can write poems for your beloved, create pictures with a single prompt, and generate videos. I wouldn't be surprised if it soon creates a movie based on a story you provide. To grasp the significance of this technological feat, we need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Two decades ago, we were elated at the prospect of fitting ten thousand songs in our pockets. Now, we have the entire world’s library, an endless live news stream, and an infinite content creation engine at our fingertips. All this, alongside millions of songs, thousands of movies, and infinite entertainment as short-form content, is at our disposal. The leap we have seen in the last two decades is one that posterity will sum up centuries later. I can't fully comprehend what’s next, as I have yet to process all that we have managed to achieve.
We are moving at lightning speed. Generative AI and machine learning are equivalent to putting supercomputers in our pockets. We don't fully know what to do with it, so we are scared. Personally, I use AI tools as my virtual assistant. Whenever I have a question that requires deeper investigation or debate, I turn to my AI tool for a discussion. From Napoleon’s battle tactics to summarizing medical research papers on complex topics, I have used AI for everything.
This wasn't possible a few years ago. I had to spend hours gathering the kind of information that I can now pull in a fraction of a second. We are standing at a pivotal point in humanity. We were at a similar juncture when computers were invented, but generative AI is even more significant. This will further evolve us into a highly informed species. Many are writing dystopian versions of this future, but I am not so pessimistic.
It would be foolish to think we aren't evolving with technology. It's already impacting the behavior patterns of an entire generation. Artificial Intelligence is how humanity will inch further toward its next stage of evolution. It doesn’t matter who’s ready because it’s already happening.