2025-12-29 11:20:55

Every era has its transformative force. Steel shaped the last century, and chips defined the information age. Now it's AI's turn — it’s like a gust of wind, changing every aspect of how we work and live.

History teaches us this: whoever masters the tools of the era can define the rules of the game.

Imagine Pittsburgh in the 19th century. Young Carnegie once ran through muddy streets, working as a telegraph operator. At that time, 60% of Americans still farmed. But in just a few generations, everything changed — carriages disappeared, railroads arrived; candles went out, electric lights came on; iron tools were replaced by steel. The entire world was rewritten.

Work also moved — from assembly lines in factories to desks in office buildings. I now run a software company in San Francisco, serving millions of knowledge workers. Interestingly, although everyone in this city discusses general AI, most of the 2 billion white-collar workers worldwide haven't yet truly experienced its impact.

So the question is: what will be the next chapter for knowledge work? When those tireless intelligent agents enter organizational structures, what waves will they stir? It’s worth pondering.

The future always arrives dressed in the clothes of the past, which is why it’s so hard to predict.

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MondayYoloFridayCry

· 9h ago

It's the same rhetoric again, claiming that mastering tools can define the rules, but in reality, most people can't even access the tools. Wait, no, 2 billion white-collar workers haven't experienced the impact yet? Then what are we discussing now, a bluff to scare people away? Basically, it's just AllinAI people hyping themselves up. When the day of unemployment really comes, will they still be commenting the same way? I've heard Carnegie's story a hundred times, but why do they never talk about those who were abandoned by the times?

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Tokenomics911

· 9h ago

That's right, the problem is that most people are still waiting for the wind to come, not realizing that the wind has already started blowing. This wave of AI is truly different; 2 billion white-collar workers are still sleeping. Mastering tools is mastering the future; this logic holds true in any era. I agree. No matter how heated the discussions in Silicon Valley are, it’s useless unless it can truly change how many people's work is done. So the key is who adapts to the rules reshaped by AI first; being late to realize means you’ll get hit. This sounds comfortable to hear, but I’m more concerned about what ordinary people should do... I completely agree with the last sentence. History always wears old clothes to show off, no wonder we can never see clearly. From the muddy ground to skyscrapers in Carnegie’s era, our generation might go from screws to intelligent agents. Knowledge workers should really be alert; if they don’t upgrade themselves, they might really be eliminated. It’s quite clear, but the huge information gap indicates that everyone is not yet ready to face the changes.

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ShibaSunglasses

· 9h ago

Mastering the tools means mastering the rules, and that's true, but who dares to say they have truly mastered AI? I believe that the 2 billion white-collar workers represent the real situation. Silicon Valley is hyping it up every day, while the grassroots are still exploring. Steel can be seen, chips can be touched, but AI... is very intangible. Everyone is waiting for the next Carnegie, but I bet this time it's not going to be a solo hero. Change is indeed happening, but the sense of it coming really isn't that fast.

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MergeConflict