There is no question that 2025 was the year artificial intelligence broke into the mainstream. For specialists in technology, web3 and AI — it was the year we finally experienced productivity. AI could do certain tasks better and faster.
So, on this Halloween — is AI a trick to be feared or a treat to enjoy?
The headlines have leaned towards fear and armageddon — the actual fall of mankind!
I see AI in 2025 as an extraordinary treat! I have been able to deploy it to take care of mundane, repetitive tasks that free up my time for more creative and larger projects.
You see, I have been teaching companies and individuals how to embrace and deploy technology since 1983! Yes, the dark ages.
This is not the first time we have faced the loss of jobs due to technology. I have seen entire industries disappear due to technology advancement. We have been experiencing this for decades. While we do "lose" some industries and jobs — we create new sectors and jobs in different areas.
Ask a typist who had to transition to a word processor. The printing press operator who had to learn how to program laser printers or retire from his trade. The demise of "malls" and in person stores due to the proliferation of on-line shopping (although I must admit this transition took longer than I thought!)
Artificial Intelligence has been deployed for years in very specialized fields. Large data processing, medicine, robotics have all been quietly improving our lives even though we were unaware.
It is only recently that it broke through to the mainstream. During this public debut we are in the phase I call "novelty." We use it for fun, exploration, and entertainment. This, of course, is not very productive.
For those who are not afraid, you will leave this novelty phase quickly and see how AI can improve almost every area of your life. It can enable you to tackle tasks and projects you always dreamed of but lacked the time and knowledge.
AI can only advance through strong, smart and open minded individuals. We control this narrative.
Yes it will replace certain jobs — no different than the car replacing the horse and thousands of other examples I could provide you throughout the last 100 years.
So, on this halloween I invite you to consider the treats AI is providing us today:
- Ability to scan thousands of medical images drawing attention to areas that the human eye cannot easily detect so a "human doctor" can further review.
- Ability for robotics to enable intricate surgeries that are much less invasive and more precise.
- The ability for consultants, such as myself, to deploy the various capabilities to solve hundreds of operational challenges faced by businesses — in hours as opposed to months and years.
- AI combined with web3 are enabling decentralized finance to become a reality for individuals around the world — this could be the single most important application that can begin to close the ever growing income inequality gap.
- Machine learning AI managing financial portfolios using millions of data points an analyst could never review.
- Smart Home Automation
- Visual advancements from virtual home staging to virtual dressing rooms.
- Last, but not least is the personal assistant — while many of these appear to be search engines on steroids — there are some services that can really be used as a work assistant.
Artificial Intelligence is here, it is evolving every day and for those of us who learn how to interact and improve it — we will experience productivity enhancements we never thought possible.
AI is a treat for us all — Happy Halloween.
I will be sharing best of breed technology providers and AI enhancements along with the evolution of decentralized finance. Follow me for plain english explanations on where we are taking technology and how we can be early adopters and benefit along the way.