Dealing With Change In the Age of AI: Lessons From A Legendary Jazz Artist

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A FUTURE THAT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE TODAY?

Lately, I've found myself in deep thought about the future. With the constant changes we experience in life, it's important to think about tomorrow. I'm sure you've also found yourself thinking about the future.

How do you prepare? A difficult thing to do when tomorrow looks nothing like today.

The technological changes in the coming years will change society as we know it. It's already started to affect people whether they know it or not — companies are downsizing, some job roles are no longer needed.

This is nothing new. Change has been the only constant in life, and history shows this perfectly. For some reason, we always find ourselves feeling many emotions during times of change. We feel fear and insecurity, and this sometimes affects our ability to act and reason. That's what makes us human.

Generative AI breakthroughs are happening very fast. These changes bring uncertainty and we start to ask questions. Out of all the questions we could ask, we ask: will robots take our jobs? An age-old question. We have come full circle.

We have a tendency to ask ourselves the wrong questions. Why not ask how will AI help me become a better person? Or how will AI help me do my job while having a better life? But I understand — our core need is security.

If you stick with me I will tell you how to navigate the current changes, and any changes you will ever experience — like a prolific Jazz artist.

LESSONS FROM THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: WHAT HISTORY TEACHES US ABOUT AI DISRUPTION

Let's first look at the Industrial Revolution — a period when technology changed society forever, and when people asked the exact same question: will machines take my job?

The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the late 1700s, quickly spreading to Europe and North America. The steam engine, textile machinery, and mass production gave birth to factories and fundamentally changed how the world worked.

When the steam engine arrived, what happened to the delivery man using horse and carriage? What happened when a train could transport goods faster and further? What happened to the person making hand-made clothing when factories could produce textiles at scale?

The impact changed more than one person's life — it changed the entire societal structure. The social, political and economic order was transformed forever.

The Industrial Revolution started with terrible working conditions. Later, unions would form and people would start talking about human well-being — but why didn't they start with this in the first place? We went from hand-made to machine-made, and somehow people still found a role to play.

AI AND WHITE-COLLAR JOBS: ARE WE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?

Recent advancements in Generative AI have raised questions about how it will affect knowledge work. The talk is that white-collar jobs will be affected — but knowledge work has been disrupted for 70 years. We are in a world where less routine tasks can be automated.

But let's be honest: AI is not at its best yet. It is still hallucinating and making things up. This is not to dismiss the advancement, but to understand that we are only at the beginning.

AI has been around for quite a long time. Google Maps, Netflix recommendations — many applications have been using AI for years. Generative AI is the new kid on the block. We must remain rational: we are still in the very early stages of this chapter.

WHY HUMANS ALWAYS FEAR NEW TECHNOLOGY — AND WHY THAT'S OKAY

The truth is, we have always been sceptical of new technology. In 1889, Harper's Weekly wrote about electricity: "Nearly every wire you see in the open air is thick enough and strong enough to carry a death-dealing current. There is no safety, and danger lurks all around us." That was about electricity.

Here is the bigger picture: we are going through a change in the world and we must figure out what our next steps are. We must re-imagine how we want society to be.

We focus too much on the technology — not on what we want it to do for us. We need to think about how we will work with AI to create better societies, improve our work and make our lives easier. The Industrial Revolution made things better in many ways, yet we proceeded to make workers work longer hours. We must not repeat this mistake.

BE LIKE MILES: THE JAZZ LEGEND'S PLAYBOOK FOR NAVIGATING AI CHANGE

In the 1940s, Charlie Parker invented Bebop and revolutionised the Jazz world. Within a few years, younger artists surpassed him. The decline was deeply disturbing for Charlie — and he unfortunately died at an early age.

In his ensemble was a trumpeter called Miles Davis. He watched the decline carefully and understood the core of the situation deeply. Jazz was an incredibly fluid music form that underwent tremendous changes in short periods of time — much like Generative AI moving at rocket speed today.

Miles also knew that systems would not protect him — just as many governments today will not be there to save everyone when things change.

Davis vowed to overcome these circumstances. His solution was to never settle. Every four years he would radically reinvent his music. His listeners had to keep up — and they did. He kept his finger on reality, stayed up to date with the latest trends, and worked with young performers, harnessing the creativity that came with youth.

He developed a momentum that carried him through all the music changes, keeping his inventiveness alive for over 30 years — making him a jazz legend.

In Closing: If You Are Like Miles, You Will Be Fine

My parting advice for those concerned about the coming change in AI is to be like Miles. Never settle. Reinvent regularly. Stay curious. Work with the young. Keep your finger on reality.

No one can predict the future — but those who remain adaptable, intentional, and open to reinvention will not just survive the changes ahead. They will shape them.

References

James Bessen, Maarten Goos, Anna Salomons, Wiljan van den Berge; What Happens to Workers at Firms that Automate? The Review of Economics and Statistics 2023. https://doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_01284

https://time.com/charter/6333995/what-history-says-about-the-risk-of-ai-automating-jobs-away/

https://www.worldhistory.org.uk/industrial-revolution-impact-on-society

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/what-can-history-teach-us-about-technology-and-jobs

https://ourworldindata.org/brief-history-of-ai

https://www.shellsandpebbles.com/2024/02/05/wired-fears-electricity-and-technophobia-in-the-nineteenth-century/

Cent, 50 and Greene, R. (2013) The 50th Law. London: Profile Books.

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