xiaoqing blogIn The AI Era, What Is Our Position?
Becoming a technological investor or a user of technology is the easiest way for us to benefit from the AI era.
Recently, I’ve been thinking 🤔. In the current economic landscape, AI is the only growth point, and going with the flow might be easier. So, how can I find my place in this era?
My thought is that AI is a universal technology, just like electricity, computers, and operating systems. Not everyone needs to work in these foundational services, but rather find a position in the ecosystem built on top of them.
Wu Jun once said that, in the future smart era, only about 2% of the population will truly benefit from technological advancements, and these three types of people will enjoy the benefits brought by technology:
- Those who own core technology
- Those who invest in core technology
- Those who apply technology
1 The History of Technological Development
In the PC era, companies were developing operating systems, and after those operating systems matured and the internet became widespread, people began building software, browsers, and websites, leading to the PC internet era. With the advent of 3G and 4G applications and the popularization of smartphones, we entered the mobile internet era, building various apps on top of it.
During this process, technical professionals (including those in software ecosystems, servers, networks, and chips), ecosystem professionals (such as e-commerce merchants, self-media KOLs, influencers, etc.), and investors in technology (investment institutions) all gained from the era’s dividends.
2 The Essence of AI Large Models
I think that current AI large models are like PaaS services, SaaS services, utilities, or infrastructure in cloud computing. They haven’t changed the way we interact with applications. They are not a technological revolution but more like the digitization and informatization of the PC era, replacing manual work to complete tasks more efficiently. Our needs and the way we interact with things have not changed. We still use phones, still use WeChat; we still use computers, still use them the same way.
The real technological revolution may come with the advent of brain-computer interfaces, at which point the interaction paradigm will completely change. Perhaps we can even achieve immortality, existing only as consciousness, forever living in the cyber world, no longer bound by the limitations of our physical bodies.
3 The Choice for Technologists
As a technologist with a strong technical mindset, every time a new wave of technology emerges, I tend to think I need to fully understand this technology, master it, and be at the forefront of the technological revolution. But very few people directly engage with this technology; the threshold is very high. Take AI for example—only a small number of companies have the ability to train models, with the financial resources to own thousands of GPUs and hire relevant technical talent.
Should I choose to own large model technology or find a place in its ecosystem? This requires considering input-output ratios, personal abilities, and knowledge background, and most importantly, the technological hype cycle. If you perfect your skills in “the Nine Yang Skill” but the bubble bursts and the industry fades, the effort might be wasted (like joining the National Army in 1949).
4 Adapting to New Models Brought by New Technologies
For most people (including myself), it’s enough to adapt to the new models brought by new technologies. We can still benefit from them. As long as we find a place in this new ecosystem and build new programs or applications on top of it, or become part of its upstream or downstream.
I’m not saying we don’t need to understand the underlying principles of the technology. Of course, we need to understand how it works, but we don’t need to go too deep. We should understand its overall picture and know where we stand in this wave.
5 Personal Positioning
My personal tag 🏷️: infrastructure programmer. Therefore, my strengths lie in providing better infrastructure services for AI. I could also build an application on top of AI or even act as an investor.
For me, first, I lack knowledge and miss a lot of theoretical foundations; second, there are still many needs in the AI era that AI cannot solve (like food, clothing, shelter, transportation). Our current knowledge is still sufficient to meet these needs. I just need to quickly use this technology based on my situation, such as using AI programming tools to provide services and enhance my efficiency and productivity.
6 Adapting to Change
Wu Jun once said that when the waves of the times come, the real beneficiaries are those who can quickly adapt to change. Adaptability is key: only those who can find their position in the new technological wave, who are good at leveraging these changes to innovate and optimize their own abilities, will ultimately succeed and reap the rewards.
History always repeats itself, and it is strikingly similar. Technology is the same.
“By using copper as a mirror, one can correct their attire; by using history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of nations; by using people as a mirror, one can understand gain and loss.” — Old Book of Tang, Biography of Wei Zheng
I used to be a leaf on a big tree, but now I have fallen to the ground. Let’s see if I can take root and grow into a tree.
