Deciding what AI tool to try next low key reminds me of shopping for a new cereal in a giant grocery store. Same same, but different. What am I craving? What should I try this time? What’s good for me? Or more aptly put, “what’s less bad for me as I weigh personal tradeoffs today?”
The opportunity to select a product that promises a better, more energized, and more magical version of myself sounds awesome! So much potential at my fingertips. Yet picking one out from a sea of options can also feel daunting. How do I choose what’s best, and best for me?
Maybe classic American cereals and their well-articulated slogans will help me filter through the maze of tech options a bit differently…
Which AI app will “power up my morning”…help me “start strong and stay strong”?
Which AI app will “bring out the tiger” in me?
Which AI app does Mikey like? Maybe I’ll just follow Mikey’s life prefs. (IYKYK)
Hmmm. What I actually crave is a tailored circuit training program to map out what I ought to flex next, strengthen after that, and build up over time (or in time) - taking the paralysis out of this season of decision-making.
Having seemingly unlimited choices – whether cereal or technology – does affect us emotionally and psychologically. Comparing. Analyzing. Wondering. Deciding. Not-deciding. It’s all quite taxing. No matter where we find ourselves on the path of caution, consumption or the creation of AI tools, the sheer number of apps that get promoted on the daily undoubtedly contribute to some feeling overwhelmed or perpetually a step behind in the dance with AI. (Seriously, how many things can we put our attention to – intentionally – in a given day?)
Too much choice can feel overwhelming, but we know it doesn’t have to be. With a different kind of positioning – both internally and externally – we could keep stress that stems from the “embarrassment of riches” at bay and reset how we engage with overabundance.
Choicefulness can be a great thing.
The same person can pick a cereal du jour with real, natural ingredients – and later embrace one with artificial color or sweetener to satisfy a different desire. Living in contradiction is a beautiful part of what makes us human – as long as choice remains with us. (Note: For this post, I opted not to unpack bigger AI tradeoffs like job displacement or impending environmental impact, to keep my focus on sustaining abundance.)
Knowing that we’ll still face rows and rows of AI tools with promises of greater creativity and optimization (of ourselves or our work), what’s a way to tune into our inner “pacemaker” a bit more? How can we diffuse the pressure that comes with so much choice so we feel A.O.K. engaging…or not?
Maybe creating the space to gauge what’s triggering our appetite for this technology is the least artificial and most intelligent choice we can be making right now.
PS: I have no affiliation with Quaker Puffed Rice, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes or Life Cereal, yet appreciated their memorable marketing -– which I referenced as inspiration above.
PSS: A rare bowl of cereal may have been consumed during the writing of this post as a result of where I was putting my attention.
Currently co-hosting an AI Literacy Space with Nitzan Herman. Capturing some of our thoughts here: being-in.space/s/ai-literacy.