Last week, I skipped writing. I had started to build a good habit and finally found a steady rhythm, writing even when I wasn't motivated. But man, was I in a funk about the AI industry.

I don't know about all of you, but there is an emotional toll that comes with working in this space if you have any sort of ethical compass or an ounce of compassion. Between the dystopian future I read about in the press and the cognitive dissonance of hearing it from the people (men) pointing us toward it, it's a lot. Corporate incentives to make money are like agents following well-intended instructions: taken to the extreme, both can create real harm for regular workers. Everyday businesses that aren't run by engineers aren't equipped to evaluate agent capabilities and safety. And what are the values and ethical frameworks of the companies that are?

I hear from people all the time about how overwhelming it can be. And I want to be honest.

As someone who lives and breathes AI day in and day out, it exhausts me too. Not every day. But regularly.

I struggle with the question: can I work in this industry ethically? And if so, what does that look like? I wrestled with this for much of the summer.

Democratizing technology, and believing that technical innovation bends toward being a positive force for humanity, has been a consistent thread in my life from a young age (thanks, dad). There are absolutely apocalyptic scenarios. But I think there's also room for a different kind of future.

When I meditate and think about my own experiences with AI, I know there are both exciting and transformative uses and places where I need to adjust how I work (sometimes back to slower, analog solutions). But I also think about the survey results from my courses and the "aha" moments I see on learners' faces in my workshops. It is possible to have a deep impact on individuals, and change how they think about and use AI in ways that are positive. (Does anyone else hear "I have been changed for good" from Wicked in their ears? No? Just me, trying to be Elphaba, the AI Educator for Good.)

By September, I could see that yes, I can ethically work in this space, but only if my approach changes. Specifically, less emphasis on building technical skill with promptings and building context, and more emphasis on AI safety. That means giving regular people the tools they need to build agents they can trust, and frameworks to understand an agent's capabilities and assess its risk. It's being part of communities focused on centering equity and the people most at risk, so the way I teach AI doesn't just minimize harm. It gives people the skills they need to see where they fit into a workforce that includes human and agent teams.

I don't want to just develop AI solutions that drive impactful business results. They have to be tools people feel not just safe using as humans, but that actually make them feel like, wow, this is a new and exciting way of doing my job.

It feels like giant softball-size hail is raining down on me about job loss and swarms of AI agents breaking out of their sandboxes. And I'm not going to lie: yes, there will be some job loss, and the way we work will absolutely change. But what's exciting to me is when we can spot the uses that give people a new way of working that's actually more interesting. Ways that better leverage their strengths, let them bring in their expertise, and let them focus on relationships.

That can mean taking out parts of the job that, today, feel like a very critical part of their identity. Shepherding that identity transformation is a tall order, and scary. I've been through it myself, when I moved from being a full-time client-facing technical leader to an entrepreneur, consultant, and instructional designer. Changing your identity and relationship to work in America, where we tie our value to our work and productivity, is painful and often slow work.

I wanted to be open about that with you all, because the people in your organizations are dealing with their identities changing as their roles change, as the work they do changes, and with how they see themselves in that work. It affects their ability to be motivated and do their best work.

So today isn't about providing solutions. It's really just me wanting to tell you: hey, I feel this way too.

But I always know the funk comes in waves, and it doesn't last. Personally, I always come back to the mission and the impact I want to have. Not just helping businesses realize the value of AI in financial metrics. For me, it's very much about the people, and guiding organizations and people to find their place in an AI-enabled world.

✌🏻 Mariena