I'm experimenting with AI in my 70s. I've had to adapt to new technologies my entire career — those who embrace change survive.
It seemed to show a lot of potential, so I bought a book about it — that's what you did back then when you wanted to learn something. Before long, I was on a dial-up connection, meeting people from across the planet on the web.
I didn't work in tech. I practiced law for most of my career, but I've been an early adopter of new technology throughout my life.
I retired in 2020, after 30 years of working in law, so I was comfortably out of the workforce when ChatGPT was released in 2022. At the time, some people were aghast and predicted an imminent robot uprising. Meanwhile, I was eager to start experimenting with it.
I now use AI nearly every day as my assistant and advisor, but I don't have to integrate it into a workplace.
Some professionals are nervous that this latest technological revolution will upend their careers, but my years in the workforce taught me that those who embrace change survive.
I was never one to shy away from technological advancements
When I entered the legal profession in 1982, typewriters were on the verge of being phased out, and I was part of a wave of young lawyers who, unlike the partners we worked for, knew how to use a keyboard.
The advancements kept coming. Word processors became document assembly systems. Law books and law libraries became vestiges of a bygone era. At every juncture, a change would be too much for some of the older attorneys, and they'd retire.
Being mid-career, I didn't have that option. I tried to embrace change faster than my competitors and reap the advantages of beating them to the punch.
I once taught myself about databases and built my own. It was time-consuming but paid off handsomely in the end. By my retirement, I had automated my timekeeping, accounting, case tracking, and document creation. When creating simpler estate plans after talking with clients, I could sometimes finish the documents faster than the client could make it to the parking lot.
AI tools have made my retirement easier
My attraction to new workplace tech didn't go away just because I retired. When I first got ChatGPT, I played around with it like a new toy, but I didn't have much use for it.
As chatbots became more common and were built into my browsers, I began using them instead of Google or Wikipedia. AI was faster and more seamless than other tools.
Today, on my browser and phone, I have ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and NotebookLM.
Claude, an AI assistant built by Anthropic, is my favorite. When I need to find facts to use in my debates with other retired men at the park, Claude gets them from Wikipedia for me.
I was taking one of those guys to the Veterans Affairs hospital the other day, and Claude found out for me whether the hospital had WiFi for guests. Before AI, I used search engines for those things. Now I skip the lists of sponsored links and the clickbait articles behind them.
Claude cites its sources, and they aren't always the greatest, but if something is mission-critical, I'll double-check what the LLM is saying.
I often ask Claude questions about my health. Its conclusions about causes for my symptoms aren't always right, but given the scheduling issues, policies, and preconditions of the US healthcare system, I still find it a helpful first port of call.
I know turning to the internet for medical advice comes with risks, but I find it comforting and another arrow in my quiver of managing health as an older person.
Claude's availability and bedside manner appeal to me, despite the varied accuracy. Claude's always ready to chat, with no appointments necessary. The chatbot never becomes impatient, condescending, or snippy.
If Claude advises me to check with my human doctors, I do it. The first thing I tell them is what Claude said. So far, their reactions have been bemused but appreciative, rather than resistant.
Today, there are those who see AI as the beginning of the end for humanity, but among my retired buddies at the park, who've seen previous tech breakthroughs come and go, there's been a collective shrug.
Some take it up. Others, set in their ways, carry on without it. Some worry their children and grandchildren will have employment opportunities taken away by AI, but most are just thankful that, being out of the workforce, it won't happen to them.
There's already been much talk of AI replacing entry-level white collar jobs. I spent a career writing briefs that AI could now write as well as most recent law school graduates. It summarizes material well, but I'm not sure it's sophisticated enough to appeal to the emotions of a judge.
I foresee lawyers being able to use AI tools to save time on research and writing, but I think handholding clients and appearing in court will go on as usual.
I'm a little jealous of the still-practicing lawyers who get to integrate this new technology into their practices. I enjoyed those kinds of challenges when I was in their shoes, and I feel I'm missing out on the exciting ways that AI will impact the practice I spent my career in.
Changes will be wrought by AI, but it won't be the first or last time that technological change has transformed our workplaces.
As a retiree, AI doesn't threaten my livelihood or my lifestyle; it makes life easier. For people still on the front lines, as frightening as the changes may be, I think those who learn AI, embrace it, and integrate it into their careers will do just fine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Verge
an hour ago
- The Verge
7 password managers to help keep your apps safe
Passwords still seem to be the most popular method of ensuring that the right person is using the right app or service, despite the slow adoption of passkeys, which are considered more secure. And because we should be using different ones for each device and/or app, the best way to track all of them is to use a password manager. Some apps and operating systems come with their own password managers. For example, if you're part of the Apple ecosystem, you can use iCloud Keychain; Google users have Google Password Manager, and Microsoft devices store passwords through its Edge browser and Credential Manager. Some apps that offer their own password managers (although at least one, Dropbox, recently announced that it was shutting down that service). There are advantages to using an independent password manager. You aren't limited to a single operating system or browser, and most of these apps offer a variety of other services. They not only save your passwords and drop them into apps when needed, but they generate new (and safer) passwords; save data such as credit card, contact info, and important files; share passwords with friends and family members; and alert you if a password has been part of a breach. So, if you'd rather use an independent password manager, here are a few that are currently available. Bitwarden is a well-known open-source password manager that offers a solid selection of features, including saving unlimited items, syncing across devices, and password generation. Unlike most of the other services listed here, almost all of its features are free. There are vaults for a variety of other data, such as credit cards, identity data, and SSH keys. You can also share files and data using end-to-end encryption. For no-cost day-to-day password usage, Bitwarden is a good choice. You can find information on its security strategies here. Other pricing: For $10 a year, a Premium account gives you access to an integrated authenticator, the ability to add file attachments, and receive security reports. For $40 a year, the Family account lets you share vault items with up to five other users (rather than one), share passwords and other data with an unlimited number of people, and store unlimited collections. Dashlane, like Bitwarden, offers password generation, along with the ability to save credit card and other personal information, notes, and IDs. It also provides features such as secure sharing, phishing alerts, and includes a VPN. There is a limited free version that lets you store and autofill up to 25 passwords, but since most of us have more passwords than that, the best way to try it is to take advantage of the 30-day free trial. You can find information on its security strategies here. Other pricing: The Premium plan (which is actually the basic plan for personal use) costs $59.88 a year, while the Friends & Family plan offers password management for up to 10 people for $89.88 a year. 1Password includes secure places to save documents, notes, and IDs; it flags data breaches and weak passwords; and lets you safely share items with others. There are also some interesting new features, such as the ability to add a location to items so that they will appear in a Nearby tab, making them easier to find. It has a 14-day free trial. You can find information on its security strategies here. Other pricing: The Individual plan costs $3.99 a month or $35.88 a year. The Family plan, which lets you include up to five family members, is $6.95 a month or $59.88 a year. LogMeOnce's website talks about 'Passwordless Password Management,' which it accomplishes using a system of QR codes. Its free Premium version provides unlimited passwords and use on unlimited devices, along with autofill, sync, password generation, 1MB of encrypted file storage, and two-factor authentication using email or Google Authenticator. You can also save up to three notes and three credit cards. LogMeOnce uses ads to fund its free version, so that could be a setback depending on your tolerance for advertising. You can find information on its security strategies here. Other pricing: The Professional version adds 1GB of encrypted file storage, emergency access, additional authentication methods, and more for $2.50 a month. The Ultimate plan, $3.25 a month, adds 10GB of storage, unlimited note storage, password sharing, and a customizable dashboard, among other features. And for $4.99 a month, the Family plan lets six family members use LogMeOnce. The free version of NordPass includes unlimited passwords and multifactor authentication. Most other features — cross-platform compatibility, the ability to protect documents and file attachments, checking password health, data breach alerts, the ability to mask your email address, and secure sharing, among others — are only available with the paid Premium account, which you can try with a 30-day trial. You can find information on its security strategies here. Other pricing: The Premium version of NordPass costs $1.99 a month or $23.88 for the first year and $35.88 after that. The Family plan, which gives you six Premium user accounts, costs $3.69 a month or $44.28 for the first year and $71.88 after that. Like several of the other apps mentioned here, Keeper has a free version, but one that won't suit most people for long. In this case, you are limited to one mobile device, ten passwords or passkeys, and two-factor authentication. However, a 30-day free trial gives you unlimited password storage across devices, password sharing, and identity and payment storage, along with biometric logins and customer support. You can find information on its security strategies here. Other pricing: Keeper Unlimited (aptly named) costs $39.99 a year; Keeper Family, which includes five private data vaults and 10GB file storage, costs $84.99 a year. LastPass has had a lot of setbacks over the last few years, including a couple of serious breaches in 2022. Since then, it has worked to improve its service and its reputation. There's a free version that includes a password vault, access on a single device type (in other words, only computer or mobile), a password generator, and a service that monitors the internet for security breaches, which is not often included with free versions, among other features. A Premium version lets you use it with more than one device type. You can check it out with a 30-day free trial. You can find information on its security strategies here. Other pricing: the Premium version costs $36 a year; the Family version, which includes six accounts, costs $48 a year. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Barbara Krasnoff Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Apps Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Report Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Roundup Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Security Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
David Sacks' "Goldilocks" scenario
David Sacks — famed tech founder & investor, co-host of the "All-In Podcast" ("The Rainman") and now White House special adviser for AI & crypto — declared Saturday on X that "Doomer narratives were wrong" about AI. Why it matters: The big takeaway from Sacks' post is that the fear of one AI frontier model dominating all now looks far-fetched, since high-performing competing models are diffusing power. "The AI race is highly dynamic so this could change," Sacks wrote. "But right now the current situation is Goldilocks": "We have 5 major American companies vigorously competing on frontier models. This brings out the best in everyone and helps America win the AI race." "So far, we have avoided a monopolistic outcome that vests all power and control in a single entity." "There is likely to be a major role for open source. These models excel at providing 80-90% of the capability at 10-20% of the cost. This tradeoff will be highly attractive to customers who value customization, control, and cost over frontier capabilities. China has gone all-in on open source, so it would be good to see more American companies competing in this area, as OpenAI just did. (Meta also deserves credit.)" "There is likely to be a division of labor between generalized foundation models and specific verticalized applications. Instead of a single superintelligence capturing all the value, we are likely to see numerous agentic applications solving 'last mile' problems. This is great news for the startup ecosystem." "There is also an increasingly clear division of labor between humans and AI. Despite all the wondrous progress, AI models are still at zero in terms of setting their own objective function. Models need context, they must be heavily prompted, the output must be verified, and this process must be repeated iteratively to achieve meaningful business value. Reality check: Though there's plenty of competition, as Sacks notes, the administration has worked closely with OpenAI on the Stargate Project. And as Axios' Scott Rosenberg noted recently, the history of tech shows that early dominant players could still fall to a competitor not yet born: Google came along to dominate what seemed like a well-established search industry in the early dot-com era. The bottom line: The "current state of vigorous competition is healthy," Sacks concluded. "It propels innovation forward, helps America win the AI race, and avoids centralized control. This is good news — that the Doomers did not expect."
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Google Data Breach — August 8 Email Warnings Now Confirmed
Google confirms it has now notified victims of hack. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images It has been quite a week for Google users: first came the confirmation that the technology giant had been hacked and Google user data breached, quickly followed by news of another hack attack, this time impacting Google Cloud customers. The release of the Chrome 139 security update following the disclosure of multiple vulnerabilities, a spike in Google account attacks, and three email warnings from Google seemed somewhat tame by comparison. But it's confirmation of official email warnings that is the latest development in the Google data breach saga. Here's what we know. Forbes Emergency Microsoft Security Warning Confirmed — Act Now, CISA Says By Davey Winder The Google Threat Intelligence Group first alerted the world to a successful hack attack against Google on August 5, when it confirmed that a database had been accessed by attackers thought to be associated with the ShinyHunters ransomware and extortion group, also more formally known as UNC6040, leading to the compromise of user data. The database, a Salesforce instance, was used 'to store contact information and related notes for small and medium businesses,' the Google announcement stated. The full extent of the breach is still to be confirmed. Google has so far said that the stolen data comprised 'basic and largely publicly available business information, such as business names and contact details.' Now Google has updated that confirmation with another. This time, answering a question that had been on the lips of many in the cybersecurity industry, as well as Google users themselves. That question being whether impacted organizations had been informed of the attack and the data that had been stolen. 'This could mean these organisations are only finding out about the breach now,' William Wright, CEO of Closed Door Security told me at the time, 'meaning the criminals could have held on to the data, unknown to victims, for almost two months.' The August 8 update by Google provides some closure in that it first confirmed 'Emails are actively being sent to those affected by this incident,' and shortly after that, 'Google has completed its email notifications to those affected by this incident.' It has not been made clear what the precise content of those Google data breach notification emails might be, but if you have received one, I would be more than happy if you were to forward it to me. I will update this article with further information should I get hold of an email, suitably redacted, of course. Forbes Microsoft Windows Security Bypass — Hello Hackers Use Own Faces By Davey Winder
