“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17
Since everyone these days, from politicians to prognosticators to preachers, seems to be talking about, and writing about, artificial intelligence (AI), I thought I might as well throw in my own two cents, which honestly has not changed in almost forty years, long before anyone even knew of such a thing as AI. But it is a hot topic and rightfully so, for it is upon us, and it is revolutionary, which is both exciting and frightening. I’ll begin by sharing something I had written ten years ago about the technology revolution.
“The CEO of my former corporate employer, a large Wall Street investment firm used to say,” I wrote back in 2015, “that ‘people will always be in need of the advice and counsel of a fellow human being.’ When he first said that it was exactly what everyone needed to hear, for it was in the late 1980’s just when the internet was gaining traction in revolutionizing all sorts of commerce, creating chaos and fear in almost every industry that the new electronic age would replace humans altogether. The financial services industry being at the leading edge of that fear needed to hear our CEO’s inspiring reassurance more than ever, that human beings will always need other human beings.”
I still marvel at how prophetic my old boss was back then. Yes, the coming of age of the internet was revolutionary and disruptive to the way we were accustomed to things being done, just as AI is today. What did not change was the need for human interaction. In fact, if anything that need – it seems to me – has increased rather than diminished. An example is my current profession of Executive Coaching, a rapidly expanding profession I might add, yet one that did not even exist back then. Indeed, people seem to be seeking advice and counsel and interaction from and with fellow human beings more than ever.
“As iron sharpens iron,” the old Proverb reminds us, “so one man sharpens another.” Indisputably, AI is capable of many things that can potentially advance mankind (also do it harm). But if my experience over the past twenty years in Executive Coaching is any indication, I can’t imagine how AI can replace the need for one human being helping another, interacting with another, being face-to-face with another, or touching one another. Can you? So, for what it’s worth, that’s my two cents on AI.