From co‑learning to co‑creation, how AI revives craft, creativity, and joy at work
Needless to say, AI is on everybody’s lips. Clearly, most people just focus on the most obvious aspects that emerge from the use of tools based on these technologies: the increase in productivity (when used wisely), delegating tedious and repetitive tasks to machines, but also concerns about the possible disappearance of countless jobs, and so on. Despite being inundated with artificial intelligence-related content on social media, there are a few other more nuanced aspects that I believe have not been addressed.
The first is the powerful implicit effectiveness of these tools in terms of learning by doing. When used as collaborative entities for carrying out a project or a smaller activity—a feasibility study, a report, a competitor product analysis, content for a marketing campaign, etc.—it is almost taken for granted that the models on which these tools are based “know more than we do.” Even if we are super experts in a particular field, it is nearly impossible for any human to possess comprehensive knowledge that goes beyond what is currently included in common models, even if that knowledge is restricted to the area we are familiar with. There will always be at least some facet unknown to us or on which the model is simply more up-to-date. This is where AI becomes that invaluable partner we have never had and have always desired by our side—someone we will always get along with, who never has a bad day, with whom it is genuinely enjoyable to compare notes, and from whom we can osmotically learn tons of new things very efficiently.
Another exciting aspect for many of us engineers is the one related to creativity. Our imagination is frequently stifled in the sense that we often lack, as in my case, the ability to express it through traditional human activities associated with the creative side of humans, such as music or painting. This is partly true because engineering, which is often perceived as cold and rational, incorporates a vibrant and refined creative component when practiced at a certain level. However, it can be difficult to taste it for those who are not in the field1. AI can have a terrific impact in this area as well, acting as a powerful creative enabler. For instance, many times I’ve found myself writing technical documents with a relevant commercial component that I’d like to supplement with ad hoc images to convey the message that I wanted to communicate more effectively. I had those vivid images in my head, but I lacked the ability to translate them into something concrete. Today, it is possible to request that the machine perform this task for us in natural language. Isn’t this sensational?
The last point I wish to bring up is the one I mentioned at the conclusion of the preceding paragraph. The use of conversational agents and similar tools has, in many cases, revived a particular kind of work pleasure that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. The satisfaction of creating value for the business while also expanding our own professional expertise is priceless. It’s the sublimation of the Holy Grail pursued by engineers: the relentless quest for efficiency, the maximization of produced value, and the satisfaction of a perpetually thirsty ego seeking to learn new things, not strictly limited to one’s field. As an example, I mention this feasibility study “Building a Future-Ready Lifecyle Traceability Framework: Digital Product Passport Meets Web3 Technologies in the ToloMEO Ecosystem“, which was written in the form of a blog post itself, during the writing of which I experienced exactly the sensations I just described.
Credits
- This is why I believe it would be more appropriate to talk about engineering art. ↩︎
