By now, many of us have a glimpse of the leverage technology gives us when used properly. Technology is like a more with less model in which little input can give exponential output.
With the new and emerging technologies that are coming out of the cooking pot of innovation, the nature of work is experiencing a renaissance that's redefining almost everything from creating the work all the way to getting paid .
For me, it's interestingly exciting in a sense that it allows for flexibility from an individual viewpoint because it enables us to adapt it (work) to our own needs and preferences.
The interesting part is that we might not be that unique unfortunately. So whatever we may need or want, other people want that too. Competition has gotten into another new level.
Work itself hasn't changed inherently. It's still about providing value through a product or service and earning from it. What has changed over the years is the how or what. How is the value provided or what are the ways to provide this value?
The tools of the trade are evolving with technology and not everyone is taking advantage of it. Take the example of photography.
First the camera equipments were limited in their ability to take pictures. Then they get better with each iteration with more specs and features. Smartphones came along and make it easy to capture beautiful photographs on the go. Drones came along increasing the scope of photography.
Now suppose, a group of individuals go for an interview to a prestigious company for a photography job opportunity and it becomes evident that one of them has a drone. What do you think will be the chances of the ones without a drone getting the job?
The person with a drone has put himself/herself in another league. He/she can perform the how of the work better than the rest with the tool at hand. Of course, since its hardware, the leverage effectively goes away when drones become cheaper and more affordable. But you get the idea.
I mentioned earlier about little input with exponential output with tech. With the current GenAI models, anyone can create an album of images in just a minute or less. AI software tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion have made this possible.
Since its accessible to everyone, one might think that there's no leverage in this new tools of the trade. Anyone can use it to create super cool and eye catching images. This is true but there's also the reasoning that just because anyone can do it doesn't mean that anyone will do it.
Also, the thing with these tools is that the output is solely dependent on how well of an input you give. So there are levels to it and not many are open to learning about it.
Now let's entertain the thought that everyone is using it. What would be the leverage? Here's where human ingenuity comes into the picture.
When everyone has access to the same tools, the difference will be made by those willing to put in a little bit more quality effort in their work. The more refined the input gets, the higher the quality of output. And the higher the quality of output, the easier it is to stand out.
Technology gives everyone the tools of the trade. Some learn to use it well and benefit from it while some don't.
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