It Doesn't Have to Be So Complicated

Four waypoints to help navigate the AI transition as a parent, worker, and human.

I’m getting frustrated with the increasingly sensationalist AI headlines. Just last week,

• Pope Leo Takes on AI as a Potential Threat to Humanity: The Wall Street Journal covered the new Pope’s concern about AI’s impact on humanity’s future.

• Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task: Viral MIT study showed cognitive differences between students writing SAT-style essays with and without AI assistance.

Yes, the pace of change is fast. Yes, the stakes feel high. But alarmist headlines do more to overwhelm and paralyze than help. When you read beyond the headlines, the concerns and lessons are not surprising or that different from prior tech transitions:

• The Vatican emphasizes:

  • We can’t let choices by machines replace people’s decisions about their lives.

  • Children should not grow up in a dehumanized world with AI as their guides.

• The MIT study reminds us:

  • When we outsource a task, our skills to do that work atrophy.

  • We feel less ownership when we don’t do the hard work ourselves.

These aren’t reasons to panic. They’re reminders that we need to make intentional choices now to avoid unintended outcomes later and to stay on the path we desire.

Why Waypoints Matter

Navigating this moment doesn’t have to be so complicated. You don’t need to master every tool or predict every outcome, but you do need a way to orient yourself.

That’s where waypoints come in.

Waypoints are mental markers that help you:

• Pause, reflect, and reorient

• Sort through the noise

• Avoid panic, hype, or absolutism

They’re not about mastery or perfection. They’re check-ins you use at key decision points to stay on your path or course-correct with care if things feel off-track.

My Personal AI Waypoints

These are the four waypoints I return to as I make decisions about how AI shapes my work, my kids, and myself. They help me protect core elements of being human - creativity, mastery, and grit - even as the pace of change accelerates.

Set Your Waypoints

Use mine or make your own. Pick 3-5 simple phrases that sing to you and will help you make decisions through the complexity and noise. Share them with your kids and colleagues. Make them a core part of how you approach AI transitions.

If you have waypoints of your own. I’d love to hear them. Drop a comment or send a message to help us navigate together.