To some, it’s a productivity miracle; to others, it’s a polite, tireless intern quietly eyeing their desk.
White-collar professionals are nervously refreshing LinkedIn, wondering which parts of their job are “automatable,” while artists stare into the algorithmic void asking whether a machine remixing the past at light speed can also pay the rent. Progress has a way of showing up with a grin and a pink slip in the same hand.
The money question looms just as large as the existential one. Billions are being poured into AI with the breathless confidence of a gold rush, but history has taught us that not every “next big thing” actually earns its keep.
Is it for real, or is it hype? Is it the Cotton Gin, or the Segway? Will it redefine labor and creativity for generations, or end up as an extremely expensive autocomplete that never quite figures out how to turn a profit?
For now, we’re stuck in the awkward middle—equal parts awe, anxiety, and suspicion—waiting to see whether the future is about to be rewritten… or quietly written off.