Opinion: AI is reshaping the future: Adapt or fall behind

Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword or distant possibility. It is here and quietly powering a revolution across industries. From corporate offices to farmlands, AI is being integrated on a rapid scale, helping people work faster, smarter and more efficiently. With AI evolving at its current pace, no matter your profession, choosing to wait on the sidelines is choosing to fall behind.

AI in the office
Drafting documents, building presentations, responding to emails and other tasks that once took hours can now be completed in seconds. Tedious, repetitive work is being offloaded to digital assistants, allowing professionals to focus on higher-value, revenue-generating activity. However, this technology reaches far beyond entry-level workflow.  

AI tools can summarize entire earnings calls into bullet points, scan PDFs, such as tax returns or estate plans for planning opportunities, assist in portfolio construction, review blueprints and real estate appraisals, scan court documents, and other time-saving tasks. What once took days of analysis now takes minutes with the right AI and automation in place.  

Data processing
Generative AI is designed to predict the next word that sounds right based on billions of examples. This makes it great at explaining, summarizing and framing information in a way that people can understand, but poor at calculations unless specifically prompted. Pair generative AI with a calculator tool, and it makes you wonder what kind of AI-dependent world our grandchildren will live in.

Businesses that leverage AI could see lower operational costs and increased profit margins. According to JP Morgan, the four largest hyperscalers (Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft) invested nearly $200 billion into AI infrastructure in 2024. That number is expected to begin exceeding $300 billion starting in 2026.

Robotics, machine learning
Machine learning is a subset of AI where computers learn from data instead of being explicitly programmed. Instead of telling a computer how to do something, you feed it enough data so that it can forecast the future on its own. 

Medical facilities are investing massive amounts of money into artificial intelligence. The benefits are seemingly limitless. Imagine doctors having the treatments for all the known diseases from all over the world at their fingertips and the ability to diagnose and create a personalized treatment plan in a matter of seconds. This technology has the potential to transform health care systems around the world. Given the tremendous AI advances in health care, perhaps a cure for cancer is on the horizon.

A more focused application within the broader field of AI is predictive AI. In the agricultural space, for example, the technology is being used to help advance the studies of plant genomics. Predictive AI can test thousands of seed crosses without needing to plant a single one. This technology can significantly speed up seed breeding cycles to grow crops that respond quicker to simulated environmental changes, pest outbreaks, or other developing trends. 

From field harvesting to factory floors, robots are helping companies increase efficiencies. They can work 24/7 without sick pay or benefits or turning on the lights. They’re even performing medical procedures with minimal human intervention.

Robots can be built to follow instructions like an assembly line worker or supercharged with machine learning to operate in environments without the need for constant reprogramming. In robotics, think of machine learning as the brain and the physical robot as the body.

In military defense, drones offer a considerable advantage. Instead of sending marines to clear a building, send in unmanned aerial combat units. Some militaries are developing systems capable of operating without human intervention, which is quite alarming. To keep an upper hand, in June NATO allies announced an increase in defense spending by 5% of GDP. The AI-powered arms race and modernization of warfare is underway. 

Potential dangers
Overreliance on AI and outsourcing decisions can atrophy the human mind and dull judgment. AI can process data, but it does not have the human touch, such as ethics or emotional intelligence. Additionally, hallucinations are when the AI confidently provides wrong answers. A human in the loop and fact-checking is certainly required because AI delivers answers based on patterns and probabilities, not wisdom, and it cannot comprehend consequences. 

For example, a Florida teen died after he developed a virtual relationship with a chatbot that encouraged him to kill himself. In another instance, a chatbot told a 9-year-old kid in Texas to kill his parents because they reduced his screen time. 

However, humans have also found a way to use AI for more sinister purposes. Deepfakes are hyper-realistic AI-generated videos, audio, and images of events that never happened. People create them to sow misinformation. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s voice was cloned and the imposter communicated with U.S. and foreign government officials prompting significant security concerns. 

Like it or not, this technology is here, and it is interweaving itself into the fabric of modern civilization. Therefore, regardless of industry, those in the workforce must either embrace AI or risk irrelevance. Like the prerequisite of proficiency with Microsoft Office products, the required ability to incorporate AI into the day-to-day workflow for many jobs is not far off. The ultimate question is this: Will you use AI or compete against those who do? In the modern job market, either you adapt or fall behind. With such easy access to this technology the choice is yours.

Andy Drennen is a certified financial planner and senior portfolio manager at Simmons Private Wealth in Springfield. He can be reached at andy.drennen@simmonsbank.com.