The New Digital Divide

It is easy to dismiss AI if you cannot see an immediate use for it. You may think it is something for technology companies or people whose jobs are likely to be automated.

I think that is a mistake.

Imagine having a helpful and willing intern who is well educated in almost any subject you care to mention. They can research, explain, design, build and analyse. They will not always be right, and their work needs checking, but they can remove much of the effort involved in understanding a problem and getting something done.

That is broadly how I use AI.

The important divide in the future will not simply be between people whose jobs are affected by AI and those whose jobs are not. It will be between those who can use it and those who cannot.

We have seen something similar with computers and the internet. People who cannot use online banking, make bookings, complete electronic forms or find information on the internet are now at a considerable disadvantage. This is often associated with older people who did not grow up with the technology.

The difference with AI is that the problem will extend much further down the age range. Being comfortable with a smartphone or social media does not mean that someone knows how to use AI to research a subject, test an argument, analyse information or create something useful.

Those who can do these things will have an assistant available whenever they need it. Those who cannot will increasingly find themselves dealing with people and organisations that do.

A recent example for me was planning a battlefield tour of Ypres with a friend. The task involved researching the battles, people, tactics and outcomes, as well as organising museums, trenches, cemeteries, hotels, routes, maps and listening material.

AI helped me bring this together in a mobile-friendly, editable tour planner. I can alter the route, add information, save notes and adapt the plan as the trip develops. It took away much of the administration and left me to concentrate on deciding what would make a good and interesting visit.

I could have completed the work without AI. The difference was the time involved and what I was able to produce.

My advice is to budget around £20 a month for a paid AI service. Choose ChatGPT, Claude or whichever alternative you prefer. The paid packages are substantially more capable than the free versions and make it easier to undertake serious, continuing work rather than occasionally asking simple questions.

Do not spend too long reading about AI before trying it. Give it a real task. Ask it to explain something you do not understand, research a purchase, examine a document, plan a journey or help you create something. Then question the answer, correct it and ask for improvements.

I wrote previously in The Rate of Change about how AI was altering the way I worked. Since then, its development has accelerated and so has my use of it. What began largely as help with writing has expanded into research, analysis, decision tools, images and working applications.

Some of the changes will be uncomfortable. AI will alter established ways of working and reduce the value of tasks that have traditionally required considerable time and expertise. It also makes mistakes, which is why the facts and conclusions must still be checked.

But refusing to engage with it will not prevent the change. It will simply leave you less able to deal with a world in which other people are using it.

AI is one of the most significant innovations of my lifetime, and possibly much longer. I will write more about what I am doing with it, including what works, what does not and where human judgement remains essential.

A note on the use of AI

AI was used to help develop, edit and publish this article. The underlying ideas, examples and conclusions are mine, as is the published article.