We Already Had This Conversation Once Before

 

Every generation seems to believe the next new technology is going to change everything. Sometimes it does. More often, it changes how we work rather than why we work.

I was reminded of that recently after updating my LinkedIn profile with a professionally styled headshot. The photo was created with the help of AI, and I made no attempt to hide that fact.

Most people liked it. A few playfully teased me. Others dismissed it with a single word: "AI." That reaction made me smile. Because we've had this conversation before.

When calculators first appeared in classrooms, many educators worried they would destroy students' ability to think. I know, I was one of them. Then we realized something important. A calculator couldn't solve the problem if the student didn't understand the formula. As we used to tell students: "Garbage in, garbage out".

The tool wasn't the problem. The thinking behind it was. Then came word processors. People worried students would forget how to write. Then the Internet. People worried no one would memorize anything anymore. Then search engines. Then Wikipedia. Then smartphones.

Every generation has had its "this technology is going to ruin everything" moment. Yet here we are. Artificial intelligence is simply the latest chapter. Like every tool before it, AI can be used well or poorly. It can save time, it can improve presentation, and it can help organize ideas. But, it cannot replace judgment, it cannot replace experience, and it cannot replace wisdom.

Perhaps we've been asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, "Should people use AI?", maybe we should be asking, "Are people using it responsibly?". That's the conversation worth having!

The debate over whether AI is here is already over. It is. Our responsibility isn't to fear it, it's to learn it, and to understand its strengths. We also need to recognize its limitations and to remember what every generation eventually discovers, technology changes. However, human judgment remains irreplaceable.

Leadership Reflection

Looking back over your career, what technology were people once afraid of that is now simply another tool?

Dr. Flavius A. B. Akerele III, EdD, MBA

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