In an Age of Speed, What Am I Overlooking?
When I listen to talk about AI, there is a moment where my thinking stops.
I can understand technological progress.
That productivity increases and development speeds up is likely a fact.
However, when the conversation goes beyond that, a slight sense of discomfort remains.
Perhaps that is because, behind the words "efficiency increases,"
another question is lurking.
Is it not the case that what is truly changing is not efficiency,
but the very meaning of work itself?
What will people do beyond efficiency?
Recently, I often hear stories about how AI has significantly lightened the workload.
The time spent writing code has decreased,
the effort for document creation and research has also decreased,
and much of the work has started to proceed "faster than before."
Certainly, that should be a welcome change.
However, when I listen to stories from the field,
an interesting phenomenon is occurring.
Just because the work has become lighter,
it does not mean that people have become idle.
Rather, it is the opposite.
With the free time, people pick up new work.
"Things I wanted to do for a while"
"Improvements I was curious about"
"Considerations I couldn't get my hands on"
Such things are added one after another.
As a result, the total amount of busyness hardly changes.
When I heard this story,
I fell into deep thought for a moment.
If humans are that kind of creature,
then what lies beyond efficiency
might not be "leisure."
Not the product, but the speed
There is one more phrase that left an impression on me.
Speed is the proposition.
Once upon a time, creating a good product was the competitive edge.
However, as development speed increases, that advantage does not last long.
Yesterday's strength will be replicated by someone else tomorrow.
That is why they say what is needed is not a perfect product, but the speed to make corrections.
Fix it the moment you notice a gap with the customer. Incorporate new technology as soon as it appears.
Keep that cycle turning without stopping.
When I hear that, it makes sense.
At the same time, I also feel a little suffocated.
In a world where speed is value, what meaning does it have to stand still?
A world where 'half-baked' disappears
Regarding the evolution of AI, there is another striking point.
The idea that half-baked expertise will not remain.
AI will replace a significant portion of general knowledge and skills.
Therefore, what will survive is either a truly deep domain or knowledge that exists only within the field.
In a sense, this is convincing.
However, when faced with that reality, a question turns toward myself.
How deep is my own expertise?
Or am I standing comfortably somewhere in a 'moderate' place?
Where does the human role remain?
When I listen to talk about AI,
I inevitably arrive at this question in the end.
What do humans work for?
If AI
creates problems,
solves problems,
and evaluates the results,
if a world like that is approaching,
where will people stand?
When the competitor is no longer human,
the meaning of work may change.
Even so,
the very act of people having questions,
I suspect, will likely not disappear.
At the very least, I,
still feel hope in that.
What to think about in the midst of speed
Technological progress will likely not stop.
Rather than trying to stop it,
it is probably more realistic to think about how to face it.
However, the more I hear about speed,
one question comes to mind.
In a world that is becoming faster,
what do I need to rush for?
And one more thing.
Will things that don't need to be rushed,
really leave nothing behind?
