How to Not Get Replaced by AI

My friend and I had one of those “what would you do if you were financially independent” conversations, and they mentioned potentially taking their interest in writing more seriously. They also wondered whether AI will make writing obsolete and if that’s a reason (*cough* excuse *cough*) not to invest in writing.

This wasn’t the first time I heard concerns about AI. Will it make my job disappear? Will it replace all creatives? Can I ever be better than AI? 

The truth is no one knows. But here is what I do know:

AI will likely take some time to do what you fear most.

Today AI is based on what humans have already created. That’s why there are so many copyright infringement lawsuits against AI companies, who use intellectual property that isn’t theirs to train their models. It’s why all AI visual creations either look the same or seem like derivatives of existing work, and why I believe it will take a while for AI to generate something truly new and exciting. And if you feel that AI is already replacing you, ask yourself how you can use AI rather than letting it use you. Photography didn’t make painting obsolete—it made it more interesting.

AI can’t replace what only you can create. 

I believe there’s no limit to human creativity. No AI can create what you create because no AI has lived your life. AI couldn’t have created Taylor Swift’s songs, because it hadn’t gone through the experiences of becoming a performer at a young age, dating the people she dated, or feeling what she felt every time Kanye tried to dismiss her. AI couldn’t have replaced my friend who wrote a book about his grandfather’s experience helping to sabotage the Nazi war machine during the Holocaust, a story he unraveled in small increments throughout his life.

AI can’t PREDICT the random things humans are interested in CONNECTING.

So much of the innovation in the world is created by humans being naturally interested in or exposed to multiple things, and combining different disciplines, methodologies, and channels to create something new. For example, Andrew Huberman is a Stanford professor of neuroscience who decided to teach neuroscience and biohacking to anyone with an internet connection. In 3-hour-long podcast episodes, he shares academic studies and extremely detailed lessons about our biology. I don’t think AI would have predicted that a lengthy podcast with classroom material that puts most people to sleep could become one of the most popular podcasts in the world.

Your natural evolution will replace what you do before AI does.

AI wouldn’t have evolved like Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) did: He started as a college footballer, became a professional wrestler, transformed into a Hollywood actor, and recently launched a tequila brand already worth billions of dollars. Even if you don’t become a billionaire celebrity, once you free yourself from any mental constraints around your growth, you can evolve in your own unique way. By the time AI takes over your starting point (if ever), you’ll be in a completely different place and won’t care. The key is to overcome your fear of evolution rather than focusing on your fear of what happens if you stay put.

The only way to guarantee AI doesn’t replace you is to do what only you can do. The only way to know what that is is to start exploring in the direction(s) you’re curious about.

What are you waiting for?

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