i’ve long believed a job is a job. you try to find a job that aligns with your values and one that you enjoy, but at the end of the day, you are paid to do what you are asked. you have some say, but you must be able to disagree and commit.

this is my problem with ai in tech right now. i enjoy using ai to help me learn. but right now the incentive in tech is not on humans learning; it’s on investing in ai. i think this strategy of investing in ai can work, but likely won’t if we continue the way it currently exists. to few companies are in control and building open alternatives are too costly.

open alternatives to proprietary solutions isn’t a new thing; but maybe this is the first time the gap is this large. right now the cost of using the proprietary solutions isn’t too high, but i do believe there will be a future where machines will be more expensive than humans and we are back to where we were pre-ai.

this doesn’t mean that i think people leading companies should not use ai today. sure, go all in. it’s relatively cheap still. i just don’t enjoy how ai is being pitched, used or the pace at which things are changing and therefore, i’m questioning whether this is the career that i want to continue to pursue.

i enjoy the process of learning how the thing i am responsible for works. and that’s not possible when the thing you rely on is closed (proprietary) or the thing changes beneath you each week.

so for the short term, i’m okay with having my cake, but not eating it while i work on lessening my apetite for cake.