The corporate spin on AI is making me sick.
Look, I’m not saying this as a luddite or technophobe. I started my career at Berkeley in the ’90s, teaching programming languages to fellow students who had then-crazy dreams, like facial recognition and self-driving cars. As a poet and computational linguist, the first dream I realised was a language model that could generate haiku. I’ve been a dreamer, and a believer, in the power of AI for a very long time.
What I could never have imagined is coming true as well: recently, I have been implementing concurrent AI agent workflows that, when properly integrated, help clients realise significant boost in producing high-quality software. Doing it safely and well, though, requires tremendous clarity of thought.
That is why as a linguist, technologist, and team effectiveness coach, I have to say: “AI first” is a laughably misguided motto.
It follows the precedent of “mobile-first”, which has nothing to do with checking your phone before eating dinner. It means that software designers should start with most constrained interface–a small mobile phone screen–before doing the easier job of designing for a laptop. It means make the tough calls and tradeoffs up front. It means, “do the hard work first.”
The hard work in the age of AI is clear thinking, clearly articulated and carefully aligned. This is work AI will never touch. It doesn’t want anything, writes like a sycophant, and can’t see your colleagues rolling their eyes. AI is not a team player, it’s a prodigious toddler-bot, often wobbling in whatever direction you clap your hands.
Perhaps this backward “AI first” slogan is meant to simply remind people to ask, “Can AI do this?” before grinding away at a repetitive task. Perhaps it is a collective counter-shot to the idea that “someone using AI will take your job”. Either way, it’s posturing designed to threaten us humans into devaluing our work. Cue the sound of a cracking whip (and not the fun Devo kind).
As someone who marvelled from a very young age at the hopeful possibilities computers unlocked, it sickens me to see such widespread adoption of a new technology so heavily motivated by fear. I don’t think leaders are shouting “AI first” the same way Trump is shouting “America first”, but I do think it is similarly divisive.
The irony is that humans doing what humans do best will only become increasingly valuable even as we remain irreplaceable. AI needs our intentionality and direction to be meaningful. Yes, that’s right: AI needs us to survive.
To thrive, it needs us at our most resourceful, innovative best. This is why every time I hear someone spouting, “AI first” I find it about as sad and funny as them saying, “The beatings will continue until creativity and innovation improve.” They might as well be.
So, say it with me: “Human first.” Or all else fails.
No good job was every done without creativity, curiosity, and clear intent. Knowing this, perhaps we can start to get excited again about who we are and what we’re doing. Only then can we get excited about a new technology that can actually help us do enjoyable, meaningful work –and make it faster, better, and I dare say even more fun.