Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by the concept of time. I would have dreams that felt like they lasted for days, whereas in reality only a few hours had passed. I wondered why the brain could only work at one second per second; why couldn’t I process things in parallel? I dreamt of a device that could enable me to run concurrent threads; so for example if I was studying for a test, I could read about two topics at the same time, and have them logically split into each thread.
This idea was flawed for many reasons that 12 year old me didn’t understand, but it was a fun thought experiment nonetheless.
Over the holidays, I was trying to take some time off while still being productive. I found myself leaning heavily on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Github Copilot etc. for a few hours per day. One day it hit me that we’ve invented the ultimate time dilators; tools that enable humans to work on tasks much more efficiently than before. Unlike past technological leaps like the internet, which broadened our access to information, today's AI tools actively augment our task execution, marking a distinct shift in how technology empowers us.
Imagine, a few years from now, giving some software an objective - be it understanding a complex scientific theory or analyzing market trends. You wait just 15 minutes, and it presents a detailed report on the topic. Better yet, it's equipped to teach you about this subject using its own research. How would this change the way we learn, make decisions, or even approach problem-solving?
I appreciate that the idea of personal AI assistants like J.A.R.V.I.S. isn'tnovel, and many have discussed it. But the reality of living through this technological revolution, witnessing the creation of tools that will redefine efficiency and productivity, is incredibly exciting.
If you are interested in the concept of time, I find The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli to be a fascinating read.