Axios CEO Jim VandeHei wrote this note to his wife, Autumn, and their three kids. She suggested sharing it more broadly since so many families are wrestling with how to think and talk about AI. So here it is ...
Dear Family:
I want to put to words what I'm hearing, seeing, thinking and writing about AI.
- Simply put, I'm now certain it will upend your work and life in ways more profound than the internet or possibly electricity. This will hit in months, not years.
- The changes will be fast, wide, radical, disorienting and scary. No one will avoid its reach.
I'm not trying to frighten you. And I know your opinions range from wonderment to worry. That's natural and OK. Our species isn't wired for change of this speed or scale.
- My conversations with the CEOs and builders of these LLMs, as well as my own deep experimentation with AI, have shaken and stirred me in ways I never imagined.
You're living history. Ignoring it would be foolish and self-destructive. I want to urge you to plunge into understanding and using it aggressively and daily, with a mindset of curiosity, awe and clear-eyed discernment.
- As you know, my use of AI — and belief that it's surpassing human intelligence — surged substantially over the past few weeks. I've built a half-dozen apps, prototyped new businesses, and watched it take my original ideas and make them exponentially better.
- You should download several LLMs: Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude. They work similarly, intuitively and conversationally. Experiment with them. You will find ChatGPT more chatty and friendly, Gemini more clinical and doctor-like, and Claude best for work and building things.
- One trick: Use the LLMs to fact-check — and build on — each other.
These experiments shouldn't substitute for your reading of books or deep independent thought. But they should augment it. You will find all three LLMs, once you've fine-tuned your interactions, brilliant at writing, researching, challenging your assumptions, calling out blind spots and expanding on your own ideas, and building actual products. Treat them like the smartest person you ever met, but remember they're imperfect.
- Study them. Watch closely how they think, act and work. They will only get a lot better with each passing week. You will instantly see that many jobs you would have pursued a few years ago will be obsolete: computer programming, legal associates, entry-level research, corporate writing and editing, basic marketing, general consulting, bookkeeping, etc. Any knowledge work that doesn't require true expertise or vital human connection is at real risk.
I'm deeply worried our politicians, teachers and business leaders are not preparing your generation for this massive hit. There's no hero riding to the rescue. You be the hero. Saddle up and figure out fast how to turn AI into a force multiplier of your dreams:
- Sophie, you keep writing and singing and thinking deeply, and never allow AI to distort your authentic mind and voice. Your ability to see the beautiful nuances of people and life is the essence of humanity. Protect that. But AI will help with research on a book or documentary, or with stirring ideas to market your work more broadly.
- James, keep reading voraciously to better understand global politics, economics and AI. No machine can match your leadership chops and grit. But it can help explore those worlds more deeply and turn your best ideas into working apps or even future businesses.
- Kelvin, your gift is your limitless curiosity about people and ideas, and innate ability to connect with anyone authentically and deeply. This will be a superpower in the AI world. But the AI can help tutor you more deeply on policy topics, and explore data and exotic solutions to societal problems.
All of you must figure out how to master AI for any specific job or internship you hold or take. You'd be jeopardizing your future careers by not figuring out how to use AI to amplify and improve your work. You'd be wise to replace social media scrolling with LLM testing.
- Be the very best at using AI for your gig.
Plead with your friends to do the same. I'm certain that ordinary workers without savvy AI skills will be left behind. Few leaders are being blunt about this. But you can. I am. That would be a great gift to your friends.
- I don't want to frighten you, but substantial societal change is coming this year. You can't have a new technology with superhuman potential without real consequence. You already see the angst with friends struggling to find entry-level jobs. Just wait until those jobs go away. It'll ripple fast through companies, culture and business.
- The country, and you, can navigate this awesome change — but only with eyes wide open, and minds sharpened and thinking smartly about the entirety of the nation, not just the few getting rich and powerful off AI.
It starts with awareness. So please speed up your own AI journey today, both in experimentation with the LLMs and reflection on the ethical, philosophical and political changes ahead.
- I find AI at once thrilling and chilling. It'll help solve diseases, tutor struggling students, and build unthinkably cool new businesses. But it could also create and spread toxic misinformation, consolidate power and wealth in the hands of a few, and allow bad people to do awful things at scale.
You didn't ask for this moment. But it's here — and about to explode across this wonderful world of ours. Don't be a bystander. Be engaged.
- Love, Dad
📱 Let Jim know what you think: finishline@axios.com.
- Go deeper on Jim's app experiments: "The AI future is here."
