The constant swirl of artificial intelligence news can be overwhelming. Thriving today requires more than just staying afloat, though. You need to be a curious “change junkie” actively swimming in the turbulent waters while using AI to foster hope for the future.

Those were my two key takeaways from Mark Schaefer’s Thursday, August 8 talk in Harrisburg. Mark spoke at the first conference produced by the American Marketing Association of Central PA.

Change Junkie?

No matter how dizzying we believe the pace of technological change is today, Mark explained what we’re experiencing now is the slowest rate of change we will ever see in our lifetimes. The pace will only accelerate.

As daunting as that sounds, it feels very true.

If another new platform or app or service doesn’t launch every day, the ones we already use add new features or functionality. AI feels like a perpetual motion machine generating more energy than it takes to run.

Mark said to flourish now will take somebody who embraces change. He called them a “Change Junkie,” or a person who just can’t get enough of it. They’re hooked on the rush so they seek out new ideas, products, and challenges every chance they get.

Hope isn’t a strategy. It is the way.

Mark’s other key point was hope. Everybody in the room, whether they were proficient in creating complex AI prompts or had never used ChatGPT, could be hopeful because they could still succeed with AI.

To do that, all they need to do is begin intentionally using any of the myriad AI tools at their fingertips.

Based on a show of hands, many needed to hear that message. When Mark asked who was using Perplexity for AI-assisted search or Copilot or other tools, very few hands went up.
This directionally aligns with the fewer than one-third of desk workers who said they were using AI at work in a March 2024 study administered by the Workforce Lab from Slack.

Where to begin

Hope is within our reach.

Mark explained how he works with Rutgers University marketing students in half-day workshops to use AI to create a new business. His concrete examples were a mini-master class in how to use ChatGPT to create a brand new business from scratch.
But maybe you don’t want to start a new business. Maybe you just want to start using AI and don’t know how?

Just be curious enough to begin. Challenge yourself to use AI once today. Ask it a question. Do it tomorrow, and then again the next day.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a curious newcomer, the lesson I took from Mark’s talk was clear: start now.

AI is here. Wrap your arms around the change and dive in now. With the right mindset and tools you’ll be able to ride the wave with hope.