One day in the early 1990s I read an article in the “Time” magazine about something that was called internet. It seemed very promising, so I bought a book about it – this is how it was done when you wanted to learn something. Soon after, I already had a dial-up modem and met people from all over the world on the web.
I did not work in the technology industry. For most of my careers I dealt with the law, but all my life I was an early user of new technologies.
I retired in 2020 after 30 years of work as a lawyer, so when ChatgPT appeared in 2022, I was far outside the labor market. At that time, some were terrified and called the soon creation of robots. However, I was excited about the possibility of experimenting.
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Today I use AI almost every day as my assistant and adviser, but I don't have to integrate her with professional duties.
Some professionals are afraid that this technological revolution will turn their careers upside down, but mine The years of work taught me that those who accept changes would survive.
I was never afraid of technological progress
When in 1982 I started working as a lawyer, the typewriters were already in the reverse, and I belonged to the wave of young lawyers who – unlike the partners they worked with – were able to write on the keyboard.
Progress lasted. Text editors turned into systems for automatic document creation. Legal books and libraries have become relics of the past. At each stage, the change was too difficult for some older lawyers and they retired.
I, being in the middle of my career, did not have such an option. I tried to adapt faster than the competition and enjoy the benefits that I was the first.
I learned to use databases myself and built my own. It was time consuming, but eventually it paid off. Until retirement, I automated the record of working time, accounting, tracking matters and creating documents. With simpler inheritance plans, I could sometimes finish the documents faster than the customer managed to reach the parking lot.
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AI tools made my life easier for me
My interest in new office technologies did not disappear just because I retired. When I got chatgpt for the first time, I played with it like a new toybut I haven't had many applications for him yet.
When chatbots became more common and built into browsers, I began to use them instead of Google or Wikipedia. Ai was faster and smooth than other tools.
Today in my browser and phone I have chatgpt, gemini, Claude and Notebooklm.
Claude, AI assistant created by Anthropic, is my favorite. When I need to find facts to discuss with other pensioners in the park, Claude searches for them in Wikipedia.
Recently, I took one of my colleagues to the hospital for veterans and Claude checked for me whether the hospital has Wi-Fi for guests. Earlier I used search engines for such things, now I bypass lists of sponsored links and articles that attract clicks.
Claude gives sources – not always the best – but if something is really important, I check the information additionally.
I often ask Claude about health issues. His diagnosis of the causes of symptoms is not always accurate, but taking into account problems with the dates, procedures and requirements of the American healthcare and this is the useful first step for me.
I know that looking for medical advice on the Internet is associated with risk, but it gives me a sense of security and is another arrow in the dicking methods of dealing with health in old age.
I like the availability and way of being Claude, despite the variable accuracy of the answer. You do not need to make visits with Claud – he is always ready to talk, he is never impatient, patronizing or spraying.
If Claude advises me to consult a doctor, I do it. The first thing I tell them is “Claude said …”. So far they have reacted with amusement, but from recognition, not reluctantly.
I've already seen many new technologies and this one doesn't worry me
Today, some see the beginning of the end of humanity, but Among my pensioners in the park, who have already seen many technological groundbreaking discovery, there is rather collective emotion of the arms.
Some of them use AI. Others, attached to his habits, do without her. Some are worried that their children and grandchildren will lose their employment opportunities, but most are happy that being outside the labor market, they don't have to worry about it.
Much is said about the fact that AI can replace office workers in lower positions. I spent my career by writing procedural letters that AI could create as well as most freshly baked legal graduates today. And he summarizes the materials well, but I don't know if he can refer enough to the judge's emotions.
I think that lawyers will be able to use AI to save time in research and writing, but care for clients and appearing in court will remain unchanged.
I am a little jealous of lawyers who are still working and can include this new technology in their practice. I liked such challenges when I was in the profession, and I feel that I was bypassed by the exciting influence of AI on the field in which I spent my whole career.
The changes brought by AI will definitely be, but this is not the first and not the last time the technology changes the workplaces.
For me, as a pensioner, AI does not pose a threat to being or lifestyle – it makes my life easier. For those who are still on the first line, although the changes may seem terrifying, I think that those who meet AI will accept it and include it in their career, they will handle it perfectly.
The above text is a translation with American Business Insider edition
