There’s been much chatter about artificial intelligence recently. It seems like the technology will impact every type of job, from customer support to computer programming.
Creatives seem especially concerned as AI becomes better at everything, from graphic design to writing.
It’s impossible to know what the world will look like a decade from now.
Hopefully it'll look more like this...
...and less like this...
But there’s something I’m confident that AI will never replace—our human connections with each other.
I’d like to share a letter I received in September 1996 (almost 28 years ago)!
Did you catch the signature at the end? That’s right—this is a letter from Mary Pope Osborne, the author of the Magic Tree House series.
I still remember reading this note for the first time nearly three decades ago, and it’s still one of my most valued possessions today.
And whenever I think about AI-written stories, I think about this letter.
I’m not sure what types of books our computer systems might come up with 28 years in the future. Maybe they will be mediocre. Maybe they will be complete trash. Maybe they will be incredibly addictive. I don’t know because it hasn’t happened yet.
But I do know this—even if the same computer that manufactured an AI-novel also created a simulated handwritten letter to me, it wouldn’t be the same as the one I received from Mary Pope Osborne.
And that’s because I know that she’s lived the human experience, including the highs and lows of life. And as an author myself I understand the toil it takes to craft an engaging story and how personal that process is.
Whenever we read a book, we co-create with its author, completing their imagined stories in our minds. That inherently connects us to them as we experience their work. That alone makes reading a human author’s work special, but it becomes all the more meaningful when we receive that extra personal touch.
Even in her prime years of fame, Mary Pope Osborne took the time to handwrite this letter. Remembering how I felt while reading her message all those years ago inspires me to connect with my reader community in impactful ways, both here in Florida and around the world.
“But Jon,” you say. “I’m not an author like you and Mary Pope Osborne. What about how AI impacts my industry?”
Here’s the thing: I think there's a similar answer here, because I believe this same concept of personal human connection is important across all areas of life. Because no matter what industry you work in, we all crave human connection.
As AI becomes more advanced, we should lean more into the unique, personal human touch that only we can bring to those around us. With these technological changes, I believe the connections and relationships we build will be all the more precious. (And something we never should have neglected in the first place.)
It’s impossible to know what the world will look like a decade from now. But I’m confident that our connections with each other will always matter. And perhaps this upcoming change in technology will let us appreciate and value each other all the more.
So let's strive to make our human connections look less like this...
And more like this...
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