The “Age of Influencers” promises that you can learn from a plethora of experts and become one yourself. That’s why this article caught my attention.
With AI, are we all becoming “pretend experts”?
What is expertise?
While AI may be “aware” of almost everything written about a given topic, is this the same as having deep experience?
Critics can watch LOTS of movies. They can say what they like and what they don’t like. But that doesn’t give a critic the experience of a movie-maker! Actually making movies offers something different.
I think we’re seeing that many people claim “expertise” before it’s earned. While I don’t blame people for wanting to be seen as experts, there is something valuable in actually taking the time to become an expert.
It’s just that acquiring expertise is not sexy.
It requires significant effort!
When you spend a decent amount of time working with someone, you can get a tangible sense of the level of his or her expertise. But we don’t always have that opportunity when we engage with potentially pretend experts.
With AI and an ever-growing number of influencer experts, we need to make decisions based on an incomplete understanding. How much can we trust anyone’s stated expertise?
It’s called critical thinking.
This skill is becoming ever more important in today’s world. We should be skeptical of any claims that seem too good to be true. We should consult many disparate sources.
We should be aware that “fake videos” are easy to create. So easy!
We should balance our online worlds with real-world connections.
The word Craftsmanship comes to mind.
Even today, it’s worth studying with known experts to become more skilled in the areas that inspire us.
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