By Adam Elias

 

 

Sometimes the most fitting real-world soundtracks come from unusual places—like under the sea.

 

While driving to Disney World for our vacation this year, at no particularly unique moment, I glanced around our vehicle to see both kids watching their own iPads—probably The Little Mermaid again—and my wife flipping through trip plans on her phone, while I listened to an audiobook on mine. We’d brought our own complete tech ecosystem: Our mid-sized SUV contained light years more computing power than that used for the first lunar landing. (To be fair, it seemed like a really long drive.)

 

Take a stroll around Bellarmine’s campus—or any college campus, really, or even any public space these days—and you’re likely to see just as many devices as people. Ariel’s earnest lyrics often swim through my mind:

 

 

(You know the next line, but hold that epic crescendo for a minute.)

 

Subsequent technological leaps aren’t going to come from a shiny new tangible thing as much as they’ll come from your ability to harness the unseen power that now dwells within any device that can access the Internet. The more will be in the method, not the machine itself.

You and I, dear reader, live in a time of technological proliferation, even excess. We’ve reached a point where our gadgets and gizmos are far more powerful than most of us realize, and our thingamabobs do…things…that are well beyond our everyday needs. The shiny new iPhone or laptop isn’t nearly as exciting as it was a decade ago, because the hardware leaps aren’t as superhuman as they once were. Better cameras, brighter screens and faster processors are all well and good, but, like our redheaded mermaid friend croons (grab your invisible mic):

 

 

But when we think about the technology that inundates our lives, what “more” could we want?  

 

I’m an advocate of the human, quality-over-quantity argument that less technology is often better.  There are aspects of life that we don’t want to lose to our screen time; even as a tech guy, I’m here for the human connections. But this is a technology column, and so I’m going to give you a future-facing technology answer that I think still aligns with that perspective.

 

I believe meaningful technological advancement is no longer about the next best gadget. And so your advancement with technology—personal or professional—may depend on your willingness to look beyond the thing itself—the device—and consider how it allows you to use artificial intelligence.

 

If you think you’re late to that party, you’re really not: A Pew study published in March 2024 suggested that more than three-fourths of U.S. adults still hadn’t used generative AI. That’s ironic, because I’m pretty sure at least 75 percent of U.S. adults are talking about it.

 

As I write this, the generative AI era is in full swing. Barely two years in, we’re seeing a regular cadence of AI models that are faster, cheaper and smarter. AI is everywhere—in our tech products, our work meetings and our water cooler conversations, our movie plots and our streaming ads. Many of the 2024 Super Bowl’s precious commercial slots were filled by multimillion-dollar ads disguised as public service announcements to help audiences understand what they can do with AI.

 

Perhaps this has always been true, but at this point in history, it’s especially important to understand that your next phone, laptop or other gizmo is far less important than what you do with it.  For the vast majority of humans, subsequent technological leaps aren’t going to come from a shiny new tangible thing as much as they’ll come from your ability to harness the unseen power that now dwells within any device that can access the Internet. The more will be in the method, not the machine itself.

 

I’ll say it for you: “What does that even mean?” Let’s frame this in an everyday sort of way, because a key life skill of today is to sift the AI gimmickry from its practicality. To start, consider how AI can be used in your career, whatever stage of life you’re in.

 

If you’re a student, your main interest may be reaching the finish line of your program of study, equipped with knowledge and a baseline of skill in a particular field or profession. In that case, an AI chatbot such as ChatGPT or Microsoft’s Copilot can be your personal tutor, providing 24/7 on-demand support for your late-night study sessions, in-depth responses to the questions you’d rather not ask in class, or help in developing outlines or a plan of attack for your next big essay.

 

If you’re a Bellarmine graduate early in your career, your focus may be on the next iteration of you: highly skilled, more competitive and ready for a new level of success in your current profession. In that case, generative AI can be your new professional mentor, providing advice or assistance in advancing your work—both quality and capacity—as well as your “brand.”  AI can help you learn and apply new planning, project management, presentation or programming skills, to name but a few. It can enhance your work, dislodge practical and conceptual barriers, help you identify growth opportunities, and provide candid evaluative feedback in the vein of a wise on-the-job mentor.

 

If you’re at a pivot point in your life, ready to jump into a new career chapter, including retirement, generative AI can be your career coach. You might feed it your resume or describe your strengths and discover potential fields and professions that align with your experience and interests. Found a posting for your dream job? Upload a specific job description to an AI chatbot and get customized advice on what to highlight in your application, gain insight into what such a position would involve day-to-day, and practice interviewing for that role. The AI can even help you identify and consider learning and development choices that would prepare you for new pathways, such as returning to Bellarmine for a master’s or doctoral degree.  

 

None of these AI examples require a powerful device or technical prowess, or bear a lofty price tag. Rather, these are absolutely ordinary life scenarios in which AI can make a meaningful contribution to your success, mental health, and livelihood. After all, the important thing is not that we come to terms with a planet dominated by AI, but that we navigate the sea of new possibilities and secure a future in which AI is part of our world.