When the ‘wows’ increase… take advantage of the moment.
I vividly remember the many ‘wow’ moments marking the early days of the internet for me: starting with AOL in 1994, registering domain names in 1996, launching our first company in 1999/2000, and the Web 2.0 boom of 2007/08. But in the past year alone, between the release of ChatGPT, DALL-E, Midjourney, Suno, Notebook ML, Runway, and even Meta VR, I’ve experienced at least seven or eight ‘wows’ in just a single year.
There’s a lot to be excited about. For the first time, if you have an idea—whether it’s for music, art, or a business—you can develop almost all your initial concepts independently, with the help of AI tools. Here’s a quick breakdown of some options as of today:
Suno: Ideal for bringing your music ideas to life.
Runway: Perfect for short film concepts.
ChatGPT: Great for generating content, including text and images.
Midjourney: Excellent for creating striking visuals.
Notebook ML: Useful for starting a podcast.
(There are many more tools out there, but these are the ones I’m familiar with right now.)
Another reason I’m intrigued is this: Can an idea created with AI tools evolve into a personality? A brand? Generate revenue? Become intellectual property that’s actually worth something?
On the flip side, I’m equally worried. As someone who considers themselves ‘analog’—nostalgic for things like vinyl records and coffee in ceramic mugs—I’m acutely aware that the digital future is here. The digital divide is real, and I wonder what AI will replace rather than just enhance. Historically, humans have been the final judge and jury for technological advancements. But with AI, it feels different—maybe not today, but likely within the next decade.
Small disruptions are already happening. For instance, driverless cars are rapidly passing the ‘human safety’ test. Airports are starting to use automated wheelchairs, eliminating the need for human assistance. And in the content industry, it seems inevitable that tech companies will start cutting writers (though we’ll likely hold on to editors for now).
The ‘wows’ we’re experiencing today are growing more frequent, almost like the rapid fluctuations on a seismograph during an earthquake or an EKG recording the rhythms of a heart.
My best advice? Participate, don’t spectate. Download these tools, invest in them, experiment, and let your inner creative freak flag fly. Share your work with the world—because you never know, you might already be the creative, entrepreneur, chef, or engineer the world has been waiting for.
When the ‘wows’ increase… take advantage of the moment