The first industrial revolution permanently altered the way businesses operated (Times Agriculture).  As agricultural jobs evaporated, did workers simply find themselves without a path forward?  New technology created new careers: 

• Factory workers to produce goods

• Railroad workers to lay tracks, drive trains, and load/unload cargo

• Miners to extract coal, iron ore, copper, gold, and other minerals and metals from the ground

• Service workers to maintain and repair the new technology used in the fields and factories

Nearly 200 years later, only 1.3% of the American workforce is involved in agriculture.  (Business Insider)  Have the displaced workforce found themselves suddenly with no means to produce income?  Technology changes with the times, creating a wellspring of new opportunities.

The second industrial revolution, known as the Technical Revolution, was characterized by the emergence of new sources of energy (electricity, oil, and gas) and new modes of transportation (automobiles, airplanes) (Interesting Engineering)

The third industrial revolution, known as the Digital Revolution, brought forth new information and communication technologies, such as computers, the internet, and digital media.  (Economist)

We are now in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution: the convergence of emerging technologies, digital production, and smart automation.  (Salesforce)

Humankind is marked by our ability to adapt.  This generational shift in technology has created an entirely new landscape of opportunities.  Who, in the late 1800s, could have ever dreamt of quantum computing modeling researchers, no-code prompt engineers, or large language model developers?

Both Chantal and I have been involved with more than 300 organizations in our careers.  In that time, I have seen every plot point on the spectrum of technology adoption.  Some organizations see technology as a strategic advantage, others as a means to keep pace, and others still as no more than a cost center.

The AI explosion, just like the personal computer, internet, and social media revolutions before it, comes with a lot of promise, hype, fear, and uncertainty.

Over the past few years, we have both watched companies give lip service to AI, while providing solutions more akin to digital parlor tricks than true artificial intelligence.  Since the calendar flipped to 2023, and LLMs (large language models) have made their way into the cultural mainstream, AI is now an irrevocable element of our lexicon.

Companies that rely on legacy methods and products are spiraling downward, falling out of favor with the market.  They face the unenviable challenges of losing ground to more nimble competitors, clawing to hit already-reduced sales targets, waning attention from their customer base, and bleeding workforce due to downsizing and departures.

Yes, progress for the sake of progression can be an empty pursuit—after all, our new era of interconnected, algorithmic lives has also created a pathway for revenue as far-flung as a TikTok influencer—the merits of which are certainly disputable.