My Best Friend of 33 Years Felt Obsolete When AI Arrived.

Last year, I watched my best friend of 33 years struggle to adapt as AI started to sweep through the world. She was like an accountant to our family.

She’d always taken pride in :

1) Her attention to detail,

2) Working late nights to balance the books,

3) Taking long naps during the day, and

4) Managing our family in her own way.

She brought comfort to our world (with chaos sometimes).

Then suddenly, everything she was good at was done in seconds by algorithms.

The books she balanced? Now handled by AI with a few clicks online, as there were no offline books to balance.

It felt like the world was moving on without her.

She grew quieter, fading into the background.

One evening, I imagined her saying, “Maybe I’m just… obsolete.”

I saw the sadness in her eyes. It broke my heart.

But then, something remarkable happened.

Instead of giving up, she started learning.

She took online AI courses sitting besides me. She connected with young professionals like her, eager to embrace new tools. She even taught herself how to use some of these tools, though most of the time, she just slept more, thanks to all the time AI freed up.

She realized AI wasn’t a threat. It was a chance to sleep more peacefully.

Today, she mentors many like her.

Her journey taught me this:

AI isn’t here to replace us. It’s here to elevate us, if only we are willing to learn and grow.

Change is scary, especially when it threatens what we have mastered. But adapting is in our nature.

Now here’s the twist: My best friend isn’t human. She’s my pet cat.

If she can show Courage, Adaptation, and Triumph (CAT qualities), then we can show HUMAN qualities:

Hope: Seeing opportunity in change.

Understanding: Willingness to learn and empathize.

Motivation: The drive and spirit to keep growing.

Agility: The ability to adapt to any situation (we managed Covid-19 earlier)

Nurture: Supporting and mentoring others.

AI can balance books in seconds, but it can’t replace what makes us human. It can’t replicate our hope, understanding, motivation, agility, or our ability to nurture each other through change.