The initial adoption of new technology follows a regular pattern.

The first group are hobbyists, people looking for a fascinating way to spend time. But that’s a small group–ham radio operators, for example, or theremin musicians.

It’s the second group that gets the rest of us to take notice. They use technology to save time and money. Faxes are just like Fedex, but faster and free. Email is just like a fax, but faster and more resilient. Netflix DVDs saved a trip to the rental store and were cheaper too. The transistor radio was just like a tube radio, but cheaper…

You’re probably seeing this happen with AI right this moment. Most of the use among students, businesses and freelancers is to simply do yesterday’s work, but faster and cheaper.

Every technology that makes a difference moves beyond this shortcut phase.

Soon, people will find new uses, new ways to create value and new innovations. That’s a given. It’s our job (and our opportunity) to find the guts to go first.