Good list and there’s even plenty of stuff at work that I want to still go slowly, more humanly. Like, please don’t use AI to make us see more patients, would be nice to use it to give us more meaningful time with the patients we see.
Sometimes I worry when I don’t automatically use ChatGPT to write a letter of rec or presentation proposal I’m falling behind because apparently everyone else does but damn it, this came from my brain and that means something
Yes yes! I'm glad you pointed out the link between accelerationism and the acceleration of everyday life. I took a similar view (albeit not as AI-focused) here, in this piece: https://mutantfutures.substack.com/p/stuck-on-fast-forward Life is accelerating at the moment not just cause of AI but due to a range of factors.
What to do slow and what to do fast. Such a great frame for the winter season. Thanks for giving me a fun thing to discuss with my wife, kids and communities. Enjoy the balance that you find.
It was over 18(!) years ago, but I still get comments and remarks about this speculative prototype I built called Slow Messenger (https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/projects/en/slow-messenger-2007/) that was a poke at "instant messenger" services, back when they had to make the point that it was "instant"..now that's table stakes for any communications channels unless, that is, we decide we want something different!
Here's the gift of AI as I see it: space. When execution gets easier, there’s finally space to think...to reflect, choose, and be more intentional about what actually matters. That feels like the real opportunity. And something humans uniquely contribute.
Thank you for thoughtfully questioning the concept of Acceleration. In an earlier era of Silicon Valley's startup culture (late 1980s to early 1990s), I'd participate in sensorily overloaded trade shows where many varieties of new and exciting technological implementations were presented. A common theme that many touted was this: their product would "help you to do more in less time." I cynically noted to my colleagues that I "wanted to do less in more time."
Three plus decades later, I'm coming to see that the cynicism wasn't necessary and that going slowly for the sake of slowness has profound value in terms of living a more balanced and content life.
Confer, also, concepts of the Slow Food movement that arose in Italy during the 1980s.
This is such an important topic and I wish it were getting more attention. Efficiency for things like finding a place to eat when you're traveling is great, but as our main stream culture is obsessed with speed I find it takes real discipline to slow down. Enjoy the conversation. Listen to the sounds of the woods. Thank you for adding this to the conversation!
Thank you for putting this into words! I’ll be sharing this a lot with the people around me.
The past few years, I have been intentionally slowing down and reflecting on what I really want to use technology for. What I like about having a phone and apps like WhatsApp/Signal and Instagram, is that I can easily reach a lot of people who have similar values and hobbies, so they can get together and meet each other – in real life. I am part of a knitting club and a drawing club, and I organise ‘making days’ to simply carve out time to make stuff with your hands and be around people. Technology makes it really easy to set dates and invite everyone, but in my opinion, it should not and cannot replace real-life connections. (Let alone making stuff with your hands – oh, the satisfaction of finishing something that took a lot of time and effort!)
Whether we like it or not, the pace of change is accelerating. How we respond to change - and its velocity - is in our control. Being deliberate and intentional about how we navigate and adapt to change is the difference between being depleted and thriving.
Gentrification of the soul, great phrase.
Good list and there’s even plenty of stuff at work that I want to still go slowly, more humanly. Like, please don’t use AI to make us see more patients, would be nice to use it to give us more meaningful time with the patients we see.
Sometimes I worry when I don’t automatically use ChatGPT to write a letter of rec or presentation proposal I’m falling behind because apparently everyone else does but damn it, this came from my brain and that means something
Yes yes! I'm glad you pointed out the link between accelerationism and the acceleration of everyday life. I took a similar view (albeit not as AI-focused) here, in this piece: https://mutantfutures.substack.com/p/stuck-on-fast-forward Life is accelerating at the moment not just cause of AI but due to a range of factors.
What to do slow and what to do fast. Such a great frame for the winter season. Thanks for giving me a fun thing to discuss with my wife, kids and communities. Enjoy the balance that you find.
It was over 18(!) years ago, but I still get comments and remarks about this speculative prototype I built called Slow Messenger (https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/projects/en/slow-messenger-2007/) that was a poke at "instant messenger" services, back when they had to make the point that it was "instant"..now that's table stakes for any communications channels unless, that is, we decide we want something different!
Also, cf: the SlowAI project (https://aixdesign.co/posts/slow-ai)
Here's the gift of AI as I see it: space. When execution gets easier, there’s finally space to think...to reflect, choose, and be more intentional about what actually matters. That feels like the real opportunity. And something humans uniquely contribute.
This is the ideal. It’s so important to keep that in our line of sight. Thank you.
Thank you for thoughtfully questioning the concept of Acceleration. In an earlier era of Silicon Valley's startup culture (late 1980s to early 1990s), I'd participate in sensorily overloaded trade shows where many varieties of new and exciting technological implementations were presented. A common theme that many touted was this: their product would "help you to do more in less time." I cynically noted to my colleagues that I "wanted to do less in more time."
Three plus decades later, I'm coming to see that the cynicism wasn't necessary and that going slowly for the sake of slowness has profound value in terms of living a more balanced and content life.
Confer, also, concepts of the Slow Food movement that arose in Italy during the 1980s.
Thank for putting into words something I’ve been trying to express!
This is such an important topic and I wish it were getting more attention. Efficiency for things like finding a place to eat when you're traveling is great, but as our main stream culture is obsessed with speed I find it takes real discipline to slow down. Enjoy the conversation. Listen to the sounds of the woods. Thank you for adding this to the conversation!
Awesome post team and thanks so much for the shout out. Means a lot. 🙏
Thank you for putting this into words! I’ll be sharing this a lot with the people around me.
The past few years, I have been intentionally slowing down and reflecting on what I really want to use technology for. What I like about having a phone and apps like WhatsApp/Signal and Instagram, is that I can easily reach a lot of people who have similar values and hobbies, so they can get together and meet each other – in real life. I am part of a knitting club and a drawing club, and I organise ‘making days’ to simply carve out time to make stuff with your hands and be around people. Technology makes it really easy to set dates and invite everyone, but in my opinion, it should not and cannot replace real-life connections. (Let alone making stuff with your hands – oh, the satisfaction of finishing something that took a lot of time and effort!)
Whether we like it or not, the pace of change is accelerating. How we respond to change - and its velocity - is in our control. Being deliberate and intentional about how we navigate and adapt to change is the difference between being depleted and thriving.
There is more to life than increasing its speed. - Gandhi