If you had been present at the Wright Brothers’ first flight, it would have seemed incredible. But it would have been impossible to fathom the global network of air travel that can get you from pretty much any point on the globe to pretty much any other point on the globe in 24 hours or less.
If you had been present the day Henry Ford’s first assembly line went into production, it might have seemed like an important innovation. But even Ford himself could not have imagined Amazon and Walmart and Coca-Cola in every blessed corner of the globe.
In that spirit, when you’re done reading this, take 30 minutes to watch this video:
I know 30 minutes is a long time to watch something on the internet, but it might be the most important 30 minutes of viewing you do this year.
This is a computer that writes effective code based on nothing but verbal instructions. It seems pretty amazing, like a man lifting off for a few moments, or a product emerging without any single person seeming to have made it.
There are few if any in this age who can imagine what worlds will emerge from the widespread adoption of this technology in its maturity. The ability to explain to a computer what you need it to do, and get a custom solution that you can use without understanding its creation is the key that unlocks every door.
There used to be a set of problems called “AI-Complete”, meaning if you solved one, it meant you pretty much had AI licked. The most classic example was the “Natural Language Problem”—getting a computer to speak plain English.
We’re there. And we’re just barely scratching the surface of what we will do. And most people are not prepared for how quickly this thing is going to progress. Be ready.
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PS - I have something really special for next week’s story. I’ve been working on it a lot while I’m on my honeymoon. I’m so excited to share it with you, so make sure you check your email next week. Have a great one!