Growing alongside emerging technology is a curious process. It touches so many areas of life that when you’re in your own little bubble, you don’t always notice how much it’s reshaping the world—or your own habits.
Before Google Maps became the go-to navigation tool, a Refidex lived in the footwell of every car’s passenger seat. You never knew when you’d need it. I had a friend back then who was deep into early satellite navigation—not for driving, but for farming. He connected GPS technology to his grain harvester to record yield data across his property. That information helped him adjust fertilizer application the following season to improve his crop. At the time, that was cutting-edge thinking.
I haven’t touched a Refidex in years. There’s been an app in my pocket doing that job. These days, navigation is often built right into the car. The once-vital skill of “knowing where you’re going” or reading a road map is quietly slipping away.
Skills are fascinating. Not just in how we acquire them, but in how they apply to our place in the world—and how they evolve.
Recently, I was working on a personal project. I had a clear process in mind, but paused to ask, “Is there another way?” In the past, that question might have led me to seek out experts and learn directly from them. But this time, I turned to AI. I outlined the task, set the parameters, and explored the tools available. In doing so, I ended up building a tool that performed the task faster and with more precision than I could have done manually.
The learning curve was still there—but it was focused. The outcome wasn’t just a completed task; it was an improved process. That’s the power of emerging technology.
AI is here. It’s not here to replace you, but to extend your reach. To offer access to knowledge and processes that were once too far removed or time-consuming. Give yourself time to understand its strengths and weaknesses. You might discover a toolkit that enhances—not replaces—your creativity and capability.