I’m in my late fifties. English. I’ve lived through multiple waves of technological change.

AI used to be, for me, something that was merely Science Fiction. I watched films and read books about an entity that invariably takes over the world and enslaves mankind. I don’t remember AI ever being shown as a utopian ideal, or something positive. No. If we hand over the reins to an intelligent machine then we, as humanity, are done for.

But I didn’t need to worry about this as I was growing up. My first computer was a Commodore PET at school and then came a Sinclair ZX81 (I had borrowed the ZX80, but the flicker made me hand it back quickly). I had the delicate and fussy 16k ram pack and I spent hours typing in machine code from magazines so that I could play games. Sometimes they worked.

I like technology. I like learning about technology. I’m not scared of it. I’ve used telex machines, typewriters of all kinds, fax machines, photocopiers of all types and their forerunners, phones, and so on. I learn and I adapt. They’re tools.

I have owned an Agenda Microwriter, Palm Pilots of varying kinds, Psions (5mx and 7) and many forms of software. I am familiar with Microsoft Office and have used it professionally.

I’m not a programmer. I’m a user.

Then a few years ago came the rise of the LLM (Large Language Model) which is generally thought of as AI. I have never had to use it professionally. I do know that there are many forms of AI and that that term is a catch-all for most people. I know there are specialist programs for image generation, video generation as well as the more well known tools such as ChatGPT. I see a lot of what has become known as AI Slop kicking around and I no longer assume that what I’m seeing is real. In fact I have reduced my usage of popular platforms since more and more of it is posted. I don’t trust what I see. That’s a shame and I feel that there is danger in that. Of course, image manipulation has been around a long time. Photographs don’t tell the truth. What is chosen to leave in or to leave out shapes the narrative.

So why am I writing my thoughts down? Because AI recently has had and is having a significant impact on the world. It is in the news every day, it is advertised as offering such amazing tools as converting your text into wonderful images. Or sorting out your productivity, or helping you to write better, or indeed to write on your behalf. AI now writes job applications and another AI judges those job applications. It writes essays, novels, song lyrics in the style of your favourite artist. Seemingly there’s nothing it cannot do. It has replaced friends for some people.

I am not afraid of AI. It has, not yet at least, replaced me in my job, nor does it have a direct role in how I do my job. My job involves talking to people, sharing my experiences where helpful and useful, so that they can buy the right product for what they want to do. My experiences mean I can offer them something useful. AI may yet be able to reproduce my experiences or extrapolate from the experiences of everything posted online to offer something similar, but it hasn’t happened as yet.

I know that AI is here though and that it’s having an impact. Like I have with all new technology, I want to get to grips with it so that I know how it works and what it can offer. I am interested and I know that experience with technology, even if I’m not a specialist, is a requirement for Employers.

But it’s not simply a faster printer, or a new piece of software that simply needs some practice with. It feels quite nebulous as there is so much that can be done with it. Apparently it can write code, create websites, manage your diary and your emails, offer companionship, and much more. But how do I use it? What do I use it for? How can I ‘learn’ it so that I can say to future employers (if indeed I ever have a future employer as I’m reasonably certain I’m not going to be at the top of their list for roles). How can I learn it? How do I start? What does it mean to learn AI? It’s not that shiny new phone and operating system that a little time and trial and error ensures that I know how to use it (at an everyday level – not a specialist level). That’s what I want to find out. That’s what I want to get clarity on. That’s what this blog is about. My journey with AI. I suspect it’s going to be a long adjustment.