Be Water

In his interview excerpted above, Bruce Lee explains how water can adapt to whatever situation it finds itself in and that we should strive to “be water” so that we too can adapt to whatever situation we find ourselves in.

Obviously, we cannot physically transform into every nook and cranny of the teapot like water can. Following Bruce’s advice, however, we can cognitively and intellectually bend and adapt yet remain in control of ourselves and strengthen whatever position we need within the context of our environment.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an attempt to mimic the cognitive and intellectual capabilities of humans.

Fully adapting to the moment comes from being intellectual enough to understand and deal with the situation based on what experiences and training you have been able to internalize and master.

Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace, the notion of being able to adapt to the situation on the fly is more imperative now than ever. As we evolve, our AI digital companions should as well because one of the ways I believe that we can stay ahead of this exponential curve of technology acceleration is with flexible and adaptable tools and AI-based adaptive learning for continued and lifelong learning will be a key element.

I think some form of AI “retainer” that we can interface with via either natural language, programming, or automated actions (e.g., geofencing or scheduling) that looks after our well-being is not that far in the future from today in 2024. I mean, most of us already carry some form of “smart phone” with us and each of those has at least two different “personal digital assistants” (PDA) available within the plethora of apps and services (e.g., iPhones have Siri and Alexa while Androids have Google Assistant and Alexa, among others). These PDAs will simply be our conduit to the vast library of the knowledge that is available on the internet.

While these PDA retainers can assist us with our requests, they can also be proactive and look after our cognitive development to keep us sharp and in touch with the ever-growing demands of the day. As such, the AI (possibly through its own deep learning connection to the internet) can serve as the tutor and life coach that is continuously providing adaptive learning in small, chunks at various moments throughout the day either as needed or on demand.

With this technical evolution and round-the-clock, in my pocket ubiquitous digital servant with us, I believe that the early developmental days of our lives will be spent less in formal schools, and more in experiential learning. Once we learn the basics of how to walk and talk and be social, I believe it will be possible that we start to specialize in what we want to be “when we grow up” even more and even sooner than now. Rather than waiting until our late teens to learn a skill or trade, I believe that a specialized form of education, custom adaptive to (yet flexible enough to change on a whim) the individual’s “what I want to be” can start to form.

This adaptable AI-coach or tutor can then start to lay the groundwork for the individual to see what will be the requisite training or experience necessary to achieve the goal without the burden of thinking that you have to fully train and cram in the handful of years between your 16^th and 21^st birthdays or before you can get a job. What is wrong with learning on the job to complete your training after having first apprenticed?

This custom educational approach should be able to do several things simultaneously. Among them, give the learner a glimpse of the future and confirm that this is the path they want to go down (e.g., to be a medical doctor, are you committed to that time?) or give them time to find something they want to do rather than settle into just what they scrape by with (e.g., I’d wager most people don’t want to live their lives working multiple jobs to just live paycheck to paycheck because they either didn’t get training beyond grade school or did get training or a degree that only gainfully employs less than 1% of trainees). Meanwhile, suggestions could be made based on the learner’s interests that could not only serve them, but society as a whole due to a shortage of people in a particular field due to retirement, new developing technologies/trends, or discoveries.

Whatever direction future training and education pivots towards, I do believe that AI-based adaptive learning will be at the head of the effort helping to drive the train(ing) helping us to adapt to the realities of the future-present world and keep flowing just like water.