I wondered what a modern-day definition would be for the term “Luddite,” so naturally I Googled it. The response was:
“Today, “Luddite” generally means someone who is opposed to or resistant to new technologies. It often carries a negative connotation, implying a rejection of progress or a lack of understanding of technology. However, some people embrace the term to signify a thoughtful approach to technology, questioning its societal impacts rather than blindly accepting all advancements.”
This was the response crafted by A.I. I asked a simple question and it gave me back a simple answer with a counter-position.
It does, however, bring me to another question: “should I change the name of my new business from Next Level Executive to Next Level Luddite?”
Depending on whom you ask, some think I’ve already done so.
When I first got a few emails and texts asking, “which A.I. app are you using to write your stuff?” I thought it was in jest…so I replied in kind: “It’s the new PD AI version 3.0.” Juvenile at best.
Then I got a text from my Accountant, Jonathan White – who knows me very well. JW asked if I used an A.I. app on a recent podcast where I read a prior essay on “Are You the Hero in Your Own Journey?” Then he doubled down and asked if I had used a “Voice A.I.” on the podcast itself.
If Jonathan is asking it, then there are probably many others who are thinking it – which makes this a “credibility issue” in my mind. So, let me set the record straight and emphatically state: “I did not ask any A.I. whether or not I should write this essay…let alone what I should say in it.”
In fact, I’ve never used an A.I. application for any reason – which makes the “Luddite query” above a bit ironic, but…I digress.
Swimming Against the Tide
In 1984, Sarah Connor defeated the Terminator. Gary Kasparov wasn’t so lucky.
In a historic chess match, IBM’s supercomputer, “Deep Blue,” defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. This was the first time a computer had defeated a reigning world chess champion in a match under tournament conditions. The match was a rematch of a 1996 contest, which Kasparov had won.
Google’s A.I. stated: “The match was a significant moment in the history of artificial intelligence and computer science, showcasing the increasing capabilities of computers in complex tasks.”
What evs…
Over the course of the last six months, I’ve shared several long-form essays (which you can find on the website, if you’re not on the email feed). I realize we live in a sound-bite, shortcut, quick answer, hack-a-thon culture these days where everyone is just looking for the answers to the test, but I’m intentionally swimming in the opposite direction – and probably against the current.
I believe in Deep Work.
I believe in Creativity.
I believe in Mining our own Experiences on the way to Mastery.
And I believe in Personal Growth that originates from our internal struggles that bring out the best in each of us because we figured out our own answers.
Candidly, the long-form essays I’ve written are my attempt at some level of “thought leadership” in our collective industry. I also realize that most people don’t take 15 to 20 minutes to read a 2,000 to 2,500 word piece these days. I’m actually OK with that because I don’t write for you…
I write for me.
I’m wrestling with my own thoughts and experiences. I’m connecting my own dots. Not only can A.I. not do that for me, but I also don’t want it to do that for me. My writing is for me. Journaling is for me.
Where do you get your best ideas? In the shower? While riding your bike or out on a run? Taking a walk out in nature? 13% of your brain works in a conscious state and the other 87% in an “un-conscious” state. Your best ideas come from being in that “un-conscious” state. It’s up to each one of us to figure out how to unlock it.
I have something I call a “Spark File” that’s a small journal of ideas. It’s a simple place for me to write things down, then to come back and work on them. If they bear fruit and become something, then I rewrite them into something I call a “Genius Journal.” It’s some of my best creative work – creative work that I often migrate into the Next Level Executive programs.
I read with a highlighter and I go back and re-read with a pencil. I “dog-ear pages” and annotate in the margins. I have a hardback daily planner where I make notes and jot ideas. I record a daily “highlight reel” of things that went well. I make notes of gratitude each day. All of this is part of the process of unlocking ideas and concepts that reside within me.
Let me put it another way: I’m working shit out in my head and on paper, and you’re reading the product of that struggle.
A.I. can take information and create a base layer of knowledge, but my experience is my own.
I write for me. I share it with you. My hope is that you can find one simple thing out of each essay, podcast, or presentation that you can either apply immediately or that makes you think differently.
My Currency of Trust
There’s an old adage in the Creative Community that says, “The cynic is waiting to be disappointed in you, and they will not be disappointed in their disappointment in you.”
We live in a world that is propelled by ubiquitous content. What started out as a 24/7 news cycle has grown into “content feeds” driven by algorithms of likes, comments and tagging. While I may love the occasional video feed of pandas falling out of trees and rolling down a hill or a podcast about the Carolina Panthers’ most recent draft failures or even a lunatic fringe political blog slamming the other side for the unconstitutionality of the color of the toilet paper in Congress, I truly don’t care who authored it. At the end of the day, none of it really matters to me.
That being said, I do want my writing to matter to a small handful of you like it matters to me. I know that my writing will only truly matter to you if it hits two important marks:
- that it’s useful to you at this stage of your journey
- that you can trust the credibility behind it
When I was building this program that has become The Next Level Executive, a handful of willing participants came forward and “opted in” because they believed in the wisdom I was sharing. Their trust in me became a business – and words cannot do justice to the gratitude that I have for each one of them.
I am building a business where nothing gets between me and my supporters. There will be no subordinate coaches who will be sharing their experience. Let them create their own business. Next Level Luddite is solely my experience and my guidance. For better or for worse.
It is for that reason that I would never consider having an Artificial Intelligence app author any of the content I share. I don’t want this to sound any more pompous than it actually is (consider the source…), but using an A.I. to create blogs or podcasts or presentations would be intellectually dishonest to me. Efficient? Yes. Effective? Possibly. Honorable? I’ll pass…
Be the Product of Your Own Process
When asked about the impact of Artificial Intelligence, author and former Head of Innovation & Creativity at Disney, Duncan Wardle, said, “There are four things A.I. cannot replace: creativity, intuition, curiosity and imagination.”
If I take Duncan’s words and twist them slightly, then maybe he would equally state: “Relying on Artificial Intelligence will cost you your creativity; your intuition; your curiosity; and your imagination.”
I can think of no outlook more bleak than that.
Those who ultimately get the most out of A.I. will be the ones who can ask the best questions. I’m not looking for superficial answers. I’m seeking deeper questions. The best questions will come from a depth of experience – an experience that is my own. That’s the intuition Duncan is talking about.
I wish I had more artistic talent or a grain of musical talent. Because I don’t, my creativity is focused on the business world in terms of interpreting trends and creative problem solving. It’s also now based on the development of my own new business model. What didn’t really exist 15 months ago is gaining legitimacy. What will it look like 15 months from now? Well, Duncan, that’s for me to create.
I’d like to think that I’m a “lifelong learner” in a lot of ways which is fueled by a high degree intellectual curiosity. Sometimes sitting idle for an hour with a pencil and a notepad allows your mind to enter a state of flow that yields incredible breakthroughs from strains of curiosity. Honestly, Mr. Wardle, I wouldn’t know the first questions to ask an A.I. to even start a process like this.
Over a number of years, more than a few people have remarked that I have “a way of breaking down complex subject matter into more easily understandable components.” With the greatest dose of humility I can muster, I would humbly agree that this is a strength of mine. However, what they’re witnessing is the result of hours of imagination about the way to convey that outcome. I think Duncan would also appreciate that process…even if he can’t calculate EBITDA correctly.
Giving Gifts
The Irish poet, David Whyte, has a wonderful line in his poem “The Blessing of the Morning Light”:
“May what is hidden in you become your gift to give.”
I’m wrestling with a lot that is “hidden in me” these days. I’m a 54 year-old solo entrepreneur, husband, father, friend, and follower. Some of that may reveal itself as “gifts to give” for you, but all of it is equally a gift I give to myself. Thought leadership? I’ll let you be the judge.
All of the subject matter I speak about, and write about, is my opinion derived from my experience and my insight. All of the writing is mine and mine alone. All of the audio is my voice. All of the podcasts are my thoughts.
Inefficiently yours,
