For a few years, I have trusted a young man. He screams into the void on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Komrade Kommander is quite a character. His thoughts are some of the rawest, most profound things I’ve read on social media. As well as laughed hysterically at his quick wit. I adore him, even though we have never met. I think this is common for millennials. To connect across space and time. Through him, I’ve found and subscribed to the work of incredible minds like Dr. Julie Gurner. Just to name a favorite. There’s a value in these connections; how to give it a proper valuation is hard to say. Every relationship has a cost. Ask your friend with a truck if you don’t know what I mean. If I were to place a value on these connections, I would not be capable of them. I could not afford the ones I have already had. Even at the rate our society goes into debt, there’s not enough money to justify human capital. All of this to get my bias out there before continuing.
I am more of an early adopter of AI. I understand how it will cause great disruption. It will bring pain to humans made obsolete by its automation. Keep in mind there were strikes at farm equipment, machinery, even the earliest projectors. They were all going to ‘take our jobs.’ But we still have farmers, machinists, engineers, and teachers. You can’t replace human equity. There’s no substitute for our spirit. There is no need to fear the future, even though there are oligarchs and autocrats. We do need to be aware of our current situation.
Human Equity is the new premium in a world of AI.
Adaptive Authenticity: The New Capital
There’s no doubt the world is rapidly terraforming into something different. Automation, AI, and a borderless digital ethos propel this change. The individual struggles to navigate a fourth industrial revolution. There is opportunity awaiting us. We are entering an era where human authenticity becomes both a strategy and currency. This currency has yet to be counted.
My mentor always reminds me of a reality. The answer to 9/10 questions is money. It even applies to 999/1000 questions.
This is because in a fickle and fiat system, money is essentially worthless. Not hard, tested, and proven. Compound our devaluation with capital assets which eventually depreciate or are dismissed by market disruption.
If you’re the innovator capturing the market, this is good.
But if you’re sauntering your way to retirement, you may not reach it.
There is, of course, one answer that is more powerful, more important, more meaningful. But that, in part, is due to its rarity in the purest of forms. If money was scarce and as hard as love, the world would be better off. -A concerned Capitalist.
This is to say, if AI can replace you, it will. Doesn’t matter if we refrain from using, regulate, and resist adopting, or carefully respect the powerful thing that it is. We will employ it and embrace its existence. That debate was over before it started. For each of us, it may be time to get curious instead of staying so comfortable.
I was reminded of this during a podcast recently about AI. A topic which was close to home to the owner and host. Just weeks before, I was asking our IT which tasks AI can handle from my many responsibilities. I was curious about what it could do for me and others. The host of this podcast works as a copywriter and brand strategist. So, you can see how AI isn’t as exciting for her. But I think she’s already on track to keep thriving. As she hit the nail on the head when she mentioned adaptability. That’s the secret sauce of sustainably, no matter what industry you are in. I’ve found those who keep finding ways to make progress. They consistently bring value. These are the ones who survive the storms.
Another hard truth is we aren’t paid for our time, even if that’s what it costs us. It’s not the experience, with its diminishing returns, thanks again to time. No, we are paid for the value we bring to the marketplace. But Lindsay mentioned something that stuck out. “If we are known by name and have brand loyalty, we are unstoppable.”
I have always had general awareness concerning the importance of ‘name’ as the ancients understood it. Name was who you were. Your attributes, your family, and even the actions of the past. Reputation is sacred; that’s why integrity is so important for the individual and the organization. Honesty and proximity are mutually inclusive to true integrity. It’s behaviorally found in that human element. One formed through thousands of years of our tribe that trust is built on. Here is our ticket to safety.
The Authentic Advantage: Valuing the Versatile
The modern era’s experience is largely fabricated. We each have an algorithmic feed that filters the information we consume. Additionally, we must sift through synthetic personas and connections. You can easily find brand management posts and articles from nearly a decade ago advocating for authenticity in professional settings. Some I’ve recently rediscovered discuss how authenticity directly leads to higher ratings, making it a powerful marketing strategy. When authenticity transcends tribalism, it encompasses values and core beliefs. It then becomes a willingness to pay more, which is highly valuable.
The next generation will need to be more life literate than my millennial generation. We did a good job keeping the childhood curiosity that connects us all. Those who come after will need to be cross-domain fluent. People who are versed in pivoting as only a polymath can.
The rise of those able to connect the dots that are seemingly unrelated has already begun. This world has been busy while we slept. We struggle to understand all the interconnected systems and communities. A global issue. There’s a great need for those who can holistically diagnose and solve problems before the scaffolding crashes down around us.
The new systems will no longer wait around for us to board. In this landscape of automation, curated identities, and echo chambers, only the polymath’s unique voice offers clarity and credibility.
There’s a premium on human equity but only for the adaptable, authentic individual. It is not knowing everything. But rather a willingness to learn anything that matters most.
Matty Thinks 
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