Cup of Inspiration

Today’s post is inspired by the Franklin planner Quote of the Day for June 26^th:

• “The most important wings on an airplane are on the pilot.” – T. Allan McArtor

It can be all too easy to forget the importance of the human behind a tool, a computer, a musical instrument, etc. and instead focus on the tool or instrument instead.

Over the past century, we have seen numerous jobs replaced as innovation brought in new and more efficient ways to produce. Manufacturing plants have seen more robots take on tasks that once belonged to humans. Most workers use a computer in some way, even if it is a cash register. These computers are used for processes that once were completed by men and women using their minds, pens, and paper. Consumers log onto a website and purchase that special Christmas gift rather than ordering over the phone with a customer service representative. Each innovation over the years often replaces, or at least reduces, the workload of an individual.

In more recent history, we have heard about artificial intelligence replacing even more people. Science fiction movies and books described societies where the touch of a button, or even a mere thought, would alert a computer to a desire or need to be addressed. Now, those scenes of fantasy are starting to become reality. Need an article before tomorrow’s deadline? Give it to ChatGPT. Need a logo for your new business? Hand it over to the AI tools with Canva, Microsoft, or any number of companies to produce a bold design to promote your company. What is the need for graphic designers, writers, and other workers across various disciplines when a short paragraph fed into a computer can produce the same work in less than a minute?

For some people, the fear of being replaced leads them to call for disowning any use of A.I. or any other innovative tool which offers a savings on resources. For others, the fear of being left behind leads them to push toward the use of A.I. and other innovative tools faster than the tools are ready for the desired purposes.

What would help calm much of the anxiety is perspective. The question should not be who can be replaced by A.I. The question should be how can A.I. be leveraged to enhance the worker’s capabilities? How can A.I. help a writer work through a period of writer’s block? How can A.I. help the writer translate that idea in their mind into something on paper (or the computer screen) which would then be further developed by the writer into a blend of rich imagery to captivate the intended audience. How can A.I. not replace the graphic designer, but instead be used as a tool in the designer’s toolbox to bring life to captivating designs?

As an example, look at the airplane. The airplane is an amazing piece of machinery using complicated systems which come together to transport people and cargo around the world every day. Airplanes help bring families together across oceans, and precious gifts to the arms of family members too far away to visit. Airplanes reduce the distances felt around the world. However, these amazing contraptions would not be anything but large pieces of scrap metal without the knowledge and skill of the pilot. The pilot must understand the airplane’s capabilities and limitations. The pilot must understand how to use the computer systems while also understanding the impact of an incoming storm. The computer provides the pilot with much needed information and controls a number of functions, such as landing gear. However, it takes a human in the cockpit to safely bring the passengers home to their families. It takes a skilled man or woman in that seat to safely bring the cargo aboard the aircraft to the destination.

Do not underestimate the skill and knowledge needed to operate the tool. The safety systems on an airplane are vital, but the skilled pilot is needed to properly deploy those systems and understand what to do when systems fail. The musician with the finest violin in the world still needs to employ skill to make the instrument sing. The writer with the fastest A.I. tool in the world still uses life experience and human understanding to provide the reader with a work worthy of reading.

Innovation, such as A.I., helps enhance work and ideas. What it cannot do is replace the user altogether. Admire the tool, but do not forget the importance of the user of that tool.