AI is Just a Tool - The Journey Still Belongs to People

I’ve been working in technology as a developer, architect and trainer for decades, I’ve seen countless waves of innovation. Each wave promised to revolutionize the way we work, and for the most part, many of them delivered. However, the way I see it, there’s something we need to talk about with the current wave that is Artificial Intelligence (AI).

AI and LLMs (Large Language Models) are extremely powerful tools, but they are all still just tools. Like the invention of the Library and the card catalog changed how we organize and access knowledge, or how the Internet and search engines reshaped how we find and share information, the current advancement of AI is modifying the way we find, access, and share information. journey, not replacing it.

The human journey still remains, but the process and tools used to reach the destination are evolving. All technology is for people, and you can never fully replace the people.

The destination of creating value, solving problems, and connecting with people may stay the same, but the path and the journey we take to get there is evolving.

Tools That Shift the Journey

When libraries became widespread, they didn’t replace authors or readers. They amplified access. When card catalogs were introduced, they didn’t write books or interpret them. They helped us find them. Fast forward to the rise of the Internet and search engines. These didn’t eliminate thinking. They expanded the scope of what we could discover and learn. Each of these innovations helped us do more, faster.

AI sits in that same realm of these older advancements. It changes how we do things, but not why we do them. The creative spark, the human insight, the connection to purpose still belongs to the people.

The Real Danger

The danger isn’t AI itself. The real danger is the assumption that AI can replace people at every step. That it can replace judgment, context, empathy, or experience. It can’t. It shouldn’t.

Relying on AI too much is like thinking authors aren’t needed because libraries made books more accessible. Or, mistaking a search engine result for deep understanding. AI can enhance our work, streamline processes, and even help us get started when we’re stuck. However, the end product, the code, design, writing, or strategy, is all still meant for people. And people still need to be in the loop to shape, understand, and apply it meaningfully.

Always remember, all technology is about people when it really comes down to it.

AI is Here to Help, Not Take Over

I use AI every day. It helps me brainstorm, summarize, debug, code, analyze, and even explain concepts more clearly. But I still own the outcome. I still make the final decisions. I still connect the dots in ways only a human intelligence can.

I encourage you to embrace AI for what it is: just another tool in your toolbox. Albeit a very powerful one, but AI is still just a tool. AI requires us to adapt and grow, like we did with every technological advancement of the past.

Just don’t make the mistake of thinking the tool can walk the journey for us. Because the journey always belongs to people. Everything we do in work, every day, is for and about the people.