I Tried Using Ai. It Scared Me.

The internet has undoubtedly been a game-changer, transforming industries and revolutionizing the way we live our lives. As I reflect on my journey through the mass adoption of the internet, I can't help but marvel at the immense changes it has brought and ponder the uncertainties of the future it holds.

I vividly recall my early days as an enthusiastic tech enthusiast, riding the wave of technological advancements. It felt like being on a rollercoaster, climbing up the slow takeoff of the sigmoid curve before experiencing the explosive growth that the internet brought. Those were exciting times. I remember attending conferences about the future of the web, speaking alongside visionaries who shared their bold predictions.

But now, as I gaze into the horizon, I wonder if these conferences will soon become a thing of the past. Technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate, and the changes it promises to bring are vast and unpredictable. Just like Napster, the file-sharing service that shook the music industry to its core in 1999, the internet has upended countless other industries, from travel agencies to video rental stores and encyclopedias. Napster was the harbinger of a storm, a signal that disrupted the status quo and revealed the transformative power of the internet.

My own world, the world I grew up with, is about to undergo a radical transformation. Social media, web-based applications, and smartphones have become integral parts of our lives, but they're just the tip of the iceberg. The internet of things, artificial intelligence, virtual reality – these are the forces that will reshape the world as we know it. It's thrilling and terrifying at the same time.

The Email Conundrum: Solving One Problem, Unveiling the Bigger Picture

In the midst of contemplating the profound changes the internet brings, a more tangible problem plagues my mind – the disarray of my email organization. While it may seem trivial compared to the grand scale of technological disruption, it serves as a metaphor for the challenges and uncertainties that lie ahead.

Most traditional email systems use folders as a means of organizing emails – a digital version of the paper filing cabinets we know so well. However, in 2004, Google introduced Gmail, which did away with folders and introduced labels as a more flexible way of categorizing emails. When I first encountered labels, I was skeptical. But as I embraced Gmail's other features, I began treating labels as folders, allowing me to back up my emails using desktop email programs like Microsoft Outlook, which only understand folders.

Recently, however, I discovered a flaw in my backup method. Gmail's labels only attach to individual messages, not entire threads. As a result, over 100,000 unlabelled messages went missing from my backup. It was a frustrating revelation, highlighting the pitfalls that come with relying too heavily on technology without fully understanding its intricacies.

AI to the Rescue: Unraveling the Coding Conundrum

With the email debacle still fresh in my mind, I embarked on a quest to fix my email threads spanning over fifteen years without manually clicking through each one. Being well-versed in coding, I turned to Google's Apps Script to automate the process. However, a thought sparked intrigue – could AI technology come to my aid?

Enter ChatGPT, an AI model known for its ability to predict the next word in a phrase. It may seem like a trivial tool, but its capabilities are remarkable. I decided to give it a shot and input my problem description, asking it to generate the required code. To my astonishment, ChatGPT quickly provided a script, although slightly imperfect. Nevertheless, the groundwork was laid, and through an iterative process of refining and communicating with ChatGPT, I could rectify the errors and understand its reasoning behind certain decisions.

The prowess of ChatGPT went beyond my expectations. It simplified my coding process, bypassing the tedious searches through documentation and offering a more streamlined approach. It was as if the AI model possessed an intuitive understanding of the problem at hand, effortlessly generating solutions. It made me question my own coding skills, considering whether AI like ChatGPT could match or even surpass them.

The Future of Coding: Collaboration, Adaptation, and New Challenges

Before jumping to any conclusions about the future of coding, it is essential to acknowledge that ChatGPT has its limitations. While it excelled in my specific problem, it struggled to solve more complex challenges. This suggests that AI is not yet equipped to replace human programmers entirely. It cannot simply copy and reproduce existing solutions; it has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.

In fact, another thought struck me. As a programmer, I often find myself searching for and adapting code from online sources. It's a common practice among us coders, utilizing the collective knowledge and expertise available on the internet to solve problems efficiently. ChatGPT, in a way, embodies this collaborative spirit by leveraging an extensive dataset of human-created code. It doesn't exist in isolation; it stands on the shoulders of countless programmers who came before it.

So, rather than perceiving AI as a threat to my job as a programmer, I see it as an ally, a tool that can enhance my abilities and complement my skills. ChatGPT's capabilities have shown me the possibilities of collaboration between human programmers and AI, where we work hand in hand to overcome challenges and push the boundaries of what's possible.

As I close this chapter of my email conundrum, I am left with a deeper appreciation for the transformative power of the internet and the uncertainties it brings. It's a reminder that we live in an ever-changing world, where adaptation and open-mindedness are crucial. The challenges of email organization mirror the challenges of our evolving society – we must learn to navigate through the chaos, harness the power of technological advancements, and embrace the unknown with curiosity and resilience.