The AI FlyWheel
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[00:00:00] Hi, welcome to another episode of The Impossible Network. I'm your host, mark ows, and today I'm going to explore a topic that's been occupying my thoughts lately. Something, I'm sure you're all aware of, the accelerating march of AI technology and it's what I call the AI flywheel. A momentum that's either carrying you forward or leaving you behind. As many of you know, I've been working at the intersection of creativity, technology, um, in advertising and business transformation, , for years.


[00:00:27] What's become increasingly clear is that we're approaching a critical juncture where the conversations about our core human differences, what makes us uniquely human, are more important than ever.

[00:00:38] Just in the last week, anthropic released, Claude 3.7 sonnet and introduced Claude Code, a command line tool for developers, which is just utterly stunning what it can build. And what struck me, it wasn't just the technical capabilities, but how the pace of innovation continues to accelerate. 

[00:00:55] And that also follows open AI's, GPT-4 0.5, which as well as just [00:01:00] an amazing writing tool. Probably only available for the pro , plan at the moment. Uh, Google's Gemini, Elon Musk's Grok three, which is incredible as well. All making significant leaps forward in rapid succession. This acceleration isn't accidental.

[00:01:15] Each new model builds upon previous research and learns from user interactions and benefits from the ever expanding computational resources. So it's a flywheel that spins faster and faster with each revolution. For those of you unfamiliar with flywheel concept, it's a mechanical device that builds momentum over time, each push making the next rotation easier and faster. So with AI, each breakthrough, each data set, each interaction contributes to this momentum. So the big question becomes, are you part of that momentum or are you watching from the sidelines? What's fascinating about the current AI landscape is how we're beginning to choose models, not just for their technical capabilities, but for their personality and specific strengths or, is [00:02:00] vibe.It reminds me of choosing tools from a workshop, different tools for different jobs.

[00:02:05] So I find myself using Claude for writing and creative work. Gemini. I use, when I want to tap into Google's data ecosystem and more recently, grok when I want some insights specifically from Twitter's information stream. It's no longer, uh, just about which AI is best. It's about which AI best suits your particular needs for that particular moment or that particular task.

[00:02:28] As I mentioned to, , a colleague recently. We are reaching a point where it's becoming too much to keep up with everything. I mean, no matter how aware you are of this or how advanced you are with technology, the speed of evolution is incredible. There's wisdom to finding your own preferred tools and learning to use 'em as well, rather than just constantly jumping on the newest releases.

[00:02:49] But here's where things get interesting and where I believe we need to focus our attention As these AI systems become more and more capable across a wide range of tasks, what [00:03:00] remains distinctly human?

[00:03:01] What is our unique contribution? In a world where AI can code, write, analyze, predict, create. This isn't about fear or resistance. It's about honest self-reflection.

[00:03:11] During a recent conversation with a podcast guest, we touched on whatneuroscience tells us about human cognition. Our brains excel at identifying linear and immediate causes, but struggle with complex network thinking. AI systems, by contrast, can process these complex relationships with ease. This suggests something profound. Perhaps our uniquely human qualities aren't found in our analytical capabilities, but are in emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning, creative intuition, and capacity for wisdom that comes from our lived experience.

[00:03:43] My own journey with technology has taught me, the importance of balance. In my article, from back in 2000, I think 17, the future of getting lost, I explored how technology affects our creative process and our ability to find those moments of Ry where our conscious minds can work. [00:04:00] As AI becomes more integrated into our lives, this balance becomes even more critical.

[00:04:06] We need times of connection and times of disconnection. We need to use technology thoughtfully rather than being used by it. What I find most promising is how AI might actually help us to become more human by handling the routine tasks, processing the information as supporting our work. AI could free us to focus on what makes us distinctly human, our relationships, our creativity, our capacity for empathy and wisdom.

[00:04:32] So where does this leave us? I believe we're at a point where each of us needs to decide how we engage with this technology. the flywheels spinning. And that momentum will continue regardless of our individual choices. But our collective choices matter how we integrate these tools.

[00:04:48] The boundaries we establish, the questions we asked about their development and use. These will shape our future relationship with ai.


[00:04:55] I'm also reminded of something else I wrote years ago as controllers of technology. [00:05:00] Individually and collectively, we must balance technological connection with disconnection, have the discipline to lose ourselves in our unconscious minds, and have the focus to listen to our souls as sentiment feels even more relevant today.

[00:05:12] I. So I'd love to hear your thoughts. How are you navigating the AI flywheel? Um, what human qualities do you believe will become more valuable as AI advances? Um, drop me a message, an email, leave a comment. Uh, let's continue this conversation until next time. remember that anything is possible with belief, desire, and action. See you next time.