Among my peers at Supply Velocity, and in spite of my engineering background, I am the least technical, so one may think I am the worst choice to write an article about AI. But, as the “Old Guy” with over 45 years of work experience, I would like to offer a unique historical perspective of how innovations enter our world, how they become the new normal, and what that might mean with AI.
For fun, let’s take a quick dive into my history with technology:
My firsthand experience began when I was in middle school and my father introduced me to the calculator. I was astonished by how fast I could multiply and divide large numbers almost instantly.
While attending Syracuse University (SU) for my electrical engineering (EE) degree, calculators were then prevalent. However, one of my professors required us to learn the use of the slide rule, just in case calculators were suddenly unavailable.
My first exposure to computers occurred at SU with an IBM 360 mainframe with CRT terminals scattered across the campus for student access. We wasted many pages of paper playing games and communicating via typed messages to my buddies on the other side of the campus. Amazing!
As an EE student, I learned about integrated circuit boards and semiconductors from professors at the leading edge of this new technology. Around the same time, Apple released its first personal computer and it opened up a whole new world. My roommates and I applied our EE education and designed a wire-wrapped interface card to allow the computer to power on or off, a 120-volt device. We worked two summers for a small local automation company that used our card and paid us to write the programming to deploy Apple computers to automate black top production plants.
While working for DuPont, interoffice mail was a manual effort (type, print, copy, insert into office mail slots, delivered by cart twice each day) that took 24 to 48 hours to type and circulate. Within 2 years, IBM’s desktop computers were provided with 10-megabyte hard drives and ethernet connectivity within the office. Inner office memos were issue via an intranet platform within minutes. Soon it became possible to issue communications to other DuPont sites. We also began using specialized computers known then as programmable controllers to operate the chemical plant by operating valves and controlling early robotic arms with sensors.
Technology rocketed after that! The internet emerged, dial up computing via modems allowed new access to emails, stock trading, and much more. Cell phones and iPads, made way for the Dot.com period that was beginning to challenge conventional “bricks and mortar” businesses and provided the skeletal structure that has led to many of today’s innovations by leveraging improving technologies around memory, batteries, miniaturization, super conductivity, cheap power and mobility. Enter cloud computing and data storage, nearly unlimited access to data and global access to create the ideal conditions for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Alexa, ChatGPT, enhanced robotics, self-driving cars, etc.
It feels like I lived through a lot of exciting innovation in my lifetime, but I find myself quite awestruck about what AI might mean for our future and how fast it is unfolding. Humble beginnings can eventually yield remarkable breakthroughs. Atari’s video game Pong eventually led to today’s games with sophisticated computer-generated images. Early crude robotics were the seeds of today’s advanced humanoid robots such as those recently showcased on CBS 60 minutes in operation at Boston Dynamics, embedded with machine learning, amazing capabilities and very soon ready for widescale deployment.
The speed of innovation transformation is happening faster and faster, which is both exciting and scary, as innovations become more dramatic and life changing. Having observed some of the negative impact social media, video games and cell phones had on children and young adults over a 10 year period, it’s clear we were generally not prepared to manage the downside risks. As AI innovation accelerates, I fear many will not be ready for the negative side effects.
Early study and measured adoption is important but is not without risks. Many early adopters get it wrong, while a critical few emerge with a new paradigm for domination. Failure to adopt can easily result in the beginning of the end.
Sears, Radio Shack, and Circuit City were all market leaders in their day but failed to adapt to online commerce driven by Amazon and Walmart. When Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs) came out, many thought the movie theater industry was going to crash but it didn’t. It also survived HBO and streaming services, but the VCR industry was replaced, and today’s movie theaters have had to transform their customer experience.
From this “Old Guy’s” perspective, what are my thoughts regarding AI?
- AI will dwarf past innovation in its impact on our lives and businesses
- AI will roll out fast
- Businesses that don’t make AI adoption a core part of their R&D will struggle
- AI will provide many great benefits, but it will also have serious risks and some people, jobs, roles, etc., will not cope well; this is not a one and done statement, and conditions may shift positively and negatively over time; some jobs go away while new jobs emerge…
- Governments, companies and/or personnel who control AI will control much of the world
- As AI BOTs gain universal access to data, their ability to provide superior medical diagnosis, call center transactions, strategic analysis on markets, economies, business sectors or governmental will become invaluable
- As robotic designs improve linked with AI via cloud services, many human labor segments will be replaced; sooner than you will believe, humanoid robots will be able to perform most all physical activities humans can, but they will be stronger, more durable and faster.
Companies need to actively strategize how they can leverage AI. Our consulting firm is learning to leverage AI for data organization and analysis, transcription services, editing, brainstorming, baselining and education, to name a few areas.
To write this article, I purposely didn’t use AI for the initial drafts. After completing the article, I utilized AI for some final thoughts.
I asked ChatGPT to summarize my article into a single paragraph:
Based on decades of experience with past technological revolutions, the author argues that AI will surpass all previous innovations in speed and impact, reshaping businesses, jobs, and society. While AI offers powerful benefits in analysis, automation, and decision-making, it also brings significant risks, including job displacement and concentrated control. History shows that organizations that fail to adapt will struggle, making thoughtful and proactive AI adoption essential.
And below is AI’s self-perspective on AI Pros and Cons:
Pros of AI
1. Productivity & Efficiency
AI automates repetitive and time-consuming tasks, allowing people to focus on higher-value work. This boosts output across industries like manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and services.
2. Better Decision-Making
By analyzing massive volumes of data quickly, AI can uncover patterns and insights humans often miss—improving forecasting, risk assessment, and strategic planning.
3. Improved Healthcare
AI enhances medical imaging, diagnostics, drug discovery, patient monitoring, and administrative efficiency, often increasing accuracy and reducing costs.
4. Cost Reduction & Scalability
Once deployed, AI systems can scale rapidly with relatively low marginal cost, enabling 24/7 operations in areas like customer service, logistics, and quality control.
5. Innovation & New Capabilities
AI enables things that were previously impractical or impossible—self-driving systems, advanced robotics, real-time language translation, and generative content creation.
6. Consistency & Accuracy
AI performs tasks consistently without fatigue, which is critical in quality inspection, compliance monitoring, and process control.
Cons of AI
1. Job Displacement & Workforce Disruption
Many roles—especially routine cognitive or physical jobs—are being reduced or eliminated, and retraining often lags behind technological change.
2. Concentration of Power
Control of advanced AI and data tends to concentrate among governments and large corporations, raising concerns about economic inequality and influence.
3. Bias & Ethical Risks
AI systems can reflect or amplify biases in their training data, leading to unfair outcomes in hiring, lending, policing, and healthcare.
4. Over-Reliance & Skill Erosion
Excessive dependence on AI can weaken human judgment, critical thinking, and domain expertise over time.
5. Security & Misuse
AI can be used for fraud, deepfakes, cyberattacks, surveillance, and misinformation—often faster than regulations can respond.
6. Lack of Transparency
Many AI models operate as “black boxes,” making it difficult to explain or audit decisions, which is problematic in regulated or safety-critical environments.
7. Rapid Pace of Change
AI is advancing faster than social norms, education systems, and laws can adapt, increasing the risk of unintended consequences.
Bottom Line
AI is neither purely beneficial nor inherently dangerous—it is a powerful force multiplier. Organizations and societies that adopt AI thoughtfully, govern it responsibly, and invest in human adaptation will gain enormous advantages, while those that ignore or misuse it risk serious economic, ethical, and social consequences.
I close by saying, AI is coming so we best embrace it, keep your eyes open and get ready!