Here’s an important question to consider when thinking about AI and the future. What if we are wrong? We are all caught up in the fast-growing and always changing world of artificial intelligence, the reality and the hype. Executives and companies are investing billions of dollars in a mad dash to be first and best.

But what if we are wrong? What if AI does not become the next huge transformation of everything?

We are only human. We tend to get all caught up in the newest and hottest technology. The world of hype is contagious. Sometimes it works out. Other times it does not.

AI will either be the biggest thing since the radio, television, telephone, wireless, computer, internet and countless other technology revolutions, or it will be a big, bright, shining shooting star that will blaze across the sky for several years before ultimately fading away.

Things we thought would have been huge, but weren’t

As an industry analyst who follows changing industries, technologies and companies, I have seen this before. In fact, we all have. Here are a few recent examples:

• The Metaverse was going to be the next huge thing. Remember in 2021, when Marc Zuckerberg of Facebook was so convinced that he changed the company name to Meta. Since that time, things have calmed down quite a bit. I wonder if Zuckerberg wishes he had chosen differently.
• IBM Watson is another firework that burned brightly as it travelled across the sky, but then quickly faded away. Watson entered the U.S. marketplace on the TV game show “Jeopardy” in 2011. It was the most modern version of AI at the time. It grew rapidly for several years with events like the IBM World of Watson event in Las Vegas. Then just as quickly, it unwound and faded away. Now IBM is trying to restart it with their watsonx in the new AI race we find ourselves in today.

Every decade has its own transformative moments. Sure, there are plenty of new technologies that worked like the internet, broadband, wireless, wireless data, iPhone, Android, apps and so much more.

Additionally, there are numerous long-standing industries that are giving way to next-generation services. Things like local telephone service giving way to wireless, and cable TV giving way to streaming, telephone line giving way to broadband and so much more.

Our lives are full of transformational change moments. Sometimes it’s new technology. Other times older tech gives way to newer versions.

AI and quantum have enormous potential for rapid growth

Then there are huge, transformational technologies like AI and quantum. These have the potential to rewrite everything we know about our world, and quickly.

These are all loaded with both good and bad. AI will let us cure the blind and let the paralyzed walk and so much more. At the same time, it presents vast challenges. It will invade and even distort reality. And with all this good and bad, we are still only in the very early stages of this new and transformative technology.

What will this look like a year from today, five years, ten years? Are you getting my point?

So, the world thinks AI will continue to grow stronger and faster and surpass the human mind. If it does, it will obviously take jobs away from humans. How secure are you? How secure is your job? Job loss has already started with lower-level jobs like the waiters at restaurants, but then it will move up the food chain.

A few short years ago, a solid job recommendation for university students was being a coder or software programmer. Now, with AI, that looks like it could be one of the first jobs to be replaced. Who knew? And as AI continues to move forward, even many high-level executives of companies, who think they are safe, will most likely participate as well.

We’ve lived through things like this threat before. Like when electricity was discovered or when the automobile was invented. Out with yesterday’s jobs and in with tomorrow’s.

Today, AI transformation is happening right in front of us

All this transformation and much more is happening right before our eyes. To many who are tuned in, AI is full of good and bad. To many others who just read the headlines, they may be blindsided. Even considering just the positive aspects of this story, investors love it, while workers do not.

We need to be thinking both of the opportunities and pitfalls of this new technology and preparing for the day when we could lose our jobs and our power. Some sooner than others.

I do not believe we can or will even try to stop AI. Too much is at stake on a global scale. In fact, I don’t’ believe anyone has the answers to these questions. Tomorrow is an exciting and terror filled place, all at the same time. It will bring both good and bad.

The question I have is simple. Can we all share in the good and protect ourselves from the bad? After all, our world will be filled with both.

Sounds a lot like the internet, which is also full of both good and bad. We have learned to live with it. We get all the benefits and protect ourselves as best we can with software protection like anti-virus. I believe the same thing will happen with AI.

We have been living through decades of transformational change since the computer, the internet, wireless, smartphones, broadband, streaming and so much more. Everything changed and will continue to do so.

So, what is the AI answer? Like you, I have many questions and few answers. Let’s just keep our eyes open and keep asking questions as we move forward into this new world.

More from Jeff Kagan: Beyond the AI gold rush