The Moment I Couldn’t See the Future
I wonder if anyone else feels this way: watching AI iterate and advance at breakneck speed, you suddenly realize you have no idea where you’ll be professionally in 2-3 years.
The more I thought about it, the more anxious I got. But anxiety doesn’t really get you anywhere, so I could only tell myself: at least I won’t be the only one going down. It felt a bit like being on the 40th or 50th floor when a massive earthquake hits — there’s nowhere to run, so you just stay put and convince yourself: it’ll be fine. And if not, well, we all go down together.
Sam Altman said it pretty bluntly in an interview: “Kids adapting to technology has never been the problem. Every generation masters the tools of their time. The ones who are really anxious are the middle-aged. The hardest group to adapt in the AI era are the adults whose thinking has already calcified. They have to relearn how to live. That’s the real challenge.”
The Reality in Taiwan
Looking at this from Taiwan adds another layer of absurdity.
I saw an article about Taiwanese companies adopting AI, and I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Most Taiwanese companies still run on “human intelligence” more than artificial intelligence. Sometimes I honestly think AI won’t replace humans in Taiwan — because labor here is just that cheap.
But the momentum of a trend doesn’t slow down just because one place is lagging behind. Talking with friends in the study-abroad prep industry, everyone sees it: AI has completely reshuffled which academic programs are “hot,” and its accessibility makes it a powerful substitute for prep schools. This isn’t a future scenario — it’s happening right now.
AI Is a Kingmaker
After sitting with the anxiety for a while, I gradually sorted out my own thinking.
Thirty years ago when internet technology first emerged, a lot of people believed “computers will replace humans.” What actually happened: people who knew how to use computers replaced those who didn’t. Five years ago when AlphaGo burst onto the scene, some said professional Go players were finished. What happened? Now every top-level player trains with AI assistance, and the competitive level of Go has actually risen higher than ever.
So in my view, AI is a Kingmaker. If you have what it takes to be king, it will make you one. If you’re mediocre or worse — if you refuse to work with it — you’re squandering the greatest opportunity of this era.
No matter how the technology iterates, even if we someday get to brain-computer interfaces, humans still need to clearly communicate their intentions and needs for AI to be useful. Seeing the big picture and thinking critically — those are what still give humans an edge over AI. Maybe AI catches up eventually, but for now, thinking and communication are still the bedrock.
From Burnout to Full Revival
I’ve been teaching for 14 years. At one point I was on the verge of losing all passion for it — answering the same questions day after day, handling the same mundane tasks, able to deliver my lecture content on autopilot with my eyes closed and my brain switched off.
AI brought me back to life.
It helped students handle tons of basic questions, freed me from repetitive grunt work, and gave me more room for teaching research and building new stuff. I didn’t lose my job. My student count didn’t drop — even though I’m the most aggressive person out there teaching students how to use AI.
I used to be impatient and harsh with students. Now, AI lets me offload the repetitive stuff, and I finally have the bandwidth to be the coach who runs alongside you through the hard stretch — not the teacher who just says “practice more and you’ll figure it out on your own.”
AI’s Greatest Contribution to Humanity
After thinking about it over and over, I believe AI’s greatest contribution to humanity can be summed up in one line:
It helps clear-headed people cut through everyone else’s bullshit.
In this era of AI collaboration, one thing is certain: what we need to study isn’t just “what AI can do” — it can already do way too much. What we really need to study is “the value of human-to-human connection.” What are the core tasks you should keep in your own hands? If you hand those off to AI, you diminish your own uniqueness and competitive edge.
Everything I write and share is written by hand. I don’t use AI-generated illustrations. At most I use AI to help me organize sequences or compile data tables. Because I want to reach my readers personally, speaking with the warmth and experience of an actual human being.
Those AI-voice articles — loaded with emoji, relentlessly positive yet ice-cold, lifeless bullet points with zero warmth — can people really not tell?